Mujica Orders Uruguayan Peacekeeping Troops to Withdraw from Haiti
Uruguayan President José Mujica announced at the Council of Ministers on Monday his decision to withdraw Uruguayan troops from the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). The Mission was installed by the UN Security Council in 2004 following the coup d’état against former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, and was reinforced in early 2010 when … Read more
Monday Memo: Gay Marriage in Uruguay – Venezuela and Paraguay – Cuban Prisoners – Immigration Reform – Carandiru Prison
Likely top stories this week: Gay marriage begins in Uruguay; Venezuela is not invited to the Paraguayan president’s inauguration; Amnesty International demands the release of Cuban prisoners; U.S. House of Representatives Republicans reject Senate approach to immigration reform; Brazilian police officers are sentenced for the 1992 Carandiru massacre. Same Sex Marriage Starts in Uruguay: The … Read more
UN Opposes Uruguay Marijuana Bill
The United Nations International Narcotics Board (INCB) issued a statement on Thursday urging Uruguay to not implement legislation that would make it the first country in the world to create and regulate a legal marijuana market. In the statement, the INCB—an independent body tasked with monitoring production and consumption of narcotics worldwide—said that if the … Read more
Monday Memo: Brazil Protests – U.S. Immigration – Colombia Protests – Abortion in Uruguay – Judicial Reform in Bolivia – Edward Snowden
Top stories this week: Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff responds to national protests; The U.S. Senate will vote on immigration reform; Coca farmers clash with police in Colombia; Uruguayan voters uphold abortion law; Judicial leaders meet in Bolivia; Ecuador considers asylum request. Protests Expand Across Brazil: Hundreds of thousands of Brazilians marched in cities across the … Read more
Uruguay Initiates Public Debate to Legalize Marijuana
On the heels of Uruguay’s Congressional decision on Tuesday to legalize gay marriage, the country embarks on another bold decision today as it begins a three-month public debate over legalizing marijuana. President José Mujica presented a bill to Congress in November that will be voted on in June, after both proponents and opponents have made … Read more
Same Sex Marriage Bill Passes Uruguayan Senate
In a 23 to 8 vote, the Uruguayan Senate approved a bill on Tuesday that brings the country one step closer to legalizing same-sex marriage. If passed, the bill would implement gender-neutral terms in marriage licenses and change the definition of civil marriage to “the permanent union, under the law, of two people of different … Read more
Uruguay’s Congress Advances Gay Marriage Bill
Uruguay’s lower house passed the Ley de Matrimonio Igualitario (Marriage Equality Law) with a wide margin—81 votes in favor out of 87 total votes—last night, sending it to the Senate where it is expected to be approved. The law recognizes all marriages as legal and provides the same rights and responsibilities for both genders under a civil union. … Read more
Civic Innovator: Damián Osta, Uruguay
Damián Osta doesn’t fit the profile of the region’s media tycoons, but he had a vision equal in ambition to any of them. “I wanted to create a newspaper that I would want to read,” says the 37-year-old Uruguayan entrepreneur. Osta, a native of Uruguay’s La Florida department, moved to Montevideo 18 years ago. But … Read more
Uruguay’s Lower House Votes to Decriminalize Abortion, with Restrictions
The lower house of Uruguay’s Congress approved a law on Tuesday that authorizes abortion within 12 weeks of conception. The bill was approved by a narrow margin of 50 to 49 votes after 14 hours of debate. The law project allows abortions only after a woman has met with a team of at least three … Read more
Legalization of Abortion Postponed in Uruguay
A bill to legalize abortion in Uruguay, having passed the Senate in December 2011, remains stalled in the Chamber of Deputies. Earlier this year, the Frente Amplio (Broad Front—FA) coalition, which controls congress and the presidency, was one vote away from agreeing to the Senate bill that would decriminalize abortion within the first 12 weeks … Read more
Uruguayan Government Plans to Sell Marijuana, Sources Say
José Mujica’s administration plans to send a bill to Uruguay’s Congress legalizing the sale of marijuana as a crime-fighting measure, unnamed lawmakers told local press yesterday. Latin American news agency Efe and Uruguayan newspaper El Pais were among the media outlets citing “official sources” detailing President Mujica’s upcoming announcement of the bill. Under the proposed … Read more
Haitian Sexual Abuse Victim Testifies in Uruguay
A 19-year old Haitian man who accused six Uruguayan UN peacekeepers of sexually assaulting him testified in a closed Uruguayan civilian court on Thursday. According to the victim, Johnny Jean, the six marines who were serving with the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) raped him on a UN base in Port Salut last September. … Read more
Argentina, Uruguay Sign Tax Evasion Treaty
Argentina and Uruguay signed a bilateral treaty yesterday as part of a joint effort to stem tax evasion, reduce capital flight, and attract greater foreign investment. Argentine citizens have long used Uruguayan banks accounts to avoid tax payments. The new measure, which will likely be approved by both countries’ legislatures later this year, will allow … Read more
10 Things to Do: Punta del Este, Uruguay
Punta del Este, Uruguay, Often referred to as the St. Tropez of Latin America, Uruguay’s Punta del Este is a top summertime playground for Uruguayans, Brazilians and Argentines. During the December–February high season, the coastal city’s population jumps from 7,500 to 160,000. This vacation hotspot offers a relaxed lifestyle, plenty of beaches, golf courses, five-star … Read more
Mercosur Summit Begins Today in Uruguay
The forty-second summit of members of the Southern Common Market (Mercado Común del Sur, or Mercosur) begins today in Montevideo, where Uruguay will hand the six-month presidency of the trade bloc over to Argentina. The economy ministers of the four founding countries—Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay—will convene today, and their presidents will do so tomorrow. … Read more
