Amnesty International Report 1997 - Paraguay

Grave human rights violations in the context of land conflicts increased during the year. At least three landless peasant activists were shot dead by gunmen acting with the support or acquiescence of local authorities and police. The authorities took no action to prevent the killings or bring those responsible to justice. There were reports of threats, arbitrary arrest and torture by police. Prosecutions for past human rights violations continued. A serious political crisis was triggered in April when General Lino Oviedo defied President Juan Carlos Wasmosy's order to relinquish his post as head of the army and attempted a coup. After several days of widespread demonstrations against the army rebellion, General Oviedo resigned his post, and in June he was arrested and charged with "insurrection and insubordination", an offence punishable by up to 15 years' imprisonment. He was released on appeal in August. In September, Congress overturned a presidential veto and passed a law entitling victims of human rights violations during the government of General Alfredo Stroessner (1954 to 1989) to compensation. In November, Paraguay ratified the Inter-American Convention on the Forced Disappearance of Persons. An amendment to the military service law, which would allow conscientious objectors to opt for civilian service, was passed by the lower chamber of Congress in December. The bill was before the Senate at the end of the year. Human rights violations during land disputes escalated as landless peasant farmers continued to occupy large tracts of under-developed property claimed by foreign nationals and local and national authorities (see Amnesty International Report 1996). Police and armed civilians operating with their support or acquiescence were responsible for the abuses. Violent expulsions, some without judicial order, were common and hundreds were detained, usually for brief periods; some were ill-treated or tortured. In March, police arrested peasant leader Francisco Ayala without a warrant, as he addressed a meeting near Tuna, Caazapá Department. He was shot in both legs as he allegedly resisted arrest. He was released after 40 days' detention when charges against him were dropped. In July, peasant leader Arsenio Vázquez was shot dead by gunmen in Santa Carmen, Caaguazú Department. Mariano Díaz, wounded in the attack, died 10 days later. The Federación Nacional Campesina, National Peasant Federation, presented a formal complaint against a retired army general who they alleged had hired the gunmen. In November, José Martínez, a member of the Organización de Lucha por la Tierra, Fight for Land Organization, was shot dead by gunmen on his farm in Cleto Romero, Cordillera Department. He had received death threats from gunmen hired by the owner of land which he and other peasant farmers were occupying. At least five other members of the landless peasant movement have been killed by gunmen in this area in the past two years. Although investigations were opened, the security forces made no effort to capture the gunmen responsible or their employers. Several land activists and criminal suspects reported having been tortured by police. In July, two peasant farmers arrested in connection with a murder case in Guairá Department said they had been tortured by police, including by near suffocation with plastic bags and being repeatedly beaten around the head. Although police medical reports failed to find evidence of torture, a parliamentary commission found the detainees' injuries to be consistent with torture. A delegation of the Senate human rights commission, who visited a group of 50 landless peasants held in Coronel Oviedo police station, concluded that at least three had been tortured. Ill-treatment of army conscripts, some as young as 15, was widespread. In the past seven years, 37 conscripts have died in military barracks, reportedly as a result of ill-treatment. Investigations into past human rights violations continued. In May, the Appeals Court confirmed a 25-year prison sentence on Pastor Coronel, the former head of the Police Investigations Department (DIP-C), and on several other DIP-C officials convicted of torturing and murdering teacher Mario Raúl Schaerer Prono in 1976. Other sentences passed on these DIP-C officials were confirmed by the Appeals Court during the year (see previous Amnesty International Reports). Paraguayan judicial officials cooperated in the investigation of the "disappearance" of Argentine nationals arrested in Paraguay in 1977 (see Argentina entry). In July, the Supreme Court released files to the Argentine authorities on the arrest and subsequent "disappearance" of three detainees who had been handed over to members of the Argentine security forces. In November, Amnesty International expressed concern to the government about the killings of José Martínez and other peasant leaders and the authorities' failure to take measures to capture and bring to justice those responsible for these and other human rights violations.