| Hope: A Message To The Movement |
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Theresa Cusimano
SOA Watch Prisoner of Conscience
 Last week I walked out of federal prison, flew home, and was greeted by my smiling parents at the airport gate. Unlike most other prisoners, I didn’t have to take a 14 hour Greyhound bus; or use my bright red, inmate ID card; nor wear my prison clothes en route. My privilege returned to me the moment of my release. Friends picked me up and drove me to the Westin hotel for a cup of hot chocolate with whipped cream. Although it was July 11th and there was a heat wave burning through the country, I was still cold from my incarceration. |
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| SOA Violence Against Protestors In Peru |
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 By Michael Baney July 9, 2012 The unfortunate actions in Cajamarca well demonstrate that while Latin America as a whole has greatly changed since the end of the Cold War, human rights and democracy concerns still exist today. Peru has historically been one of the biggest senders of personnel to the School of the Americas, and in recent years the bulk of Peru's SOA students have been members of the National Police. While the American people have a right to know if the police involved in the deadly violence in Cajamarca were trained by SOA/WHINSEC, cross-checking the names of the students with those of the abusers is impossible, as the US Department of Defense refuses to release the names of WHINSEC students, citing "the historical stigma" that has been attached to graduates of the school. Of course, the stigma exists only because so many SOA/WHINSEC graduates have been involved in abuses, which is why SOA Watch will continue to fight get the names of the students released and have the school finally shut down. |
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| WHINSEC Board Of Visitors Meeting - June 27-28, 2012 |
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 On June 27 and 28, 2012, the news that Ecuador had pulled out of the SOA made shock waves in Columbus, Georgia. During those two days, SOA Watch activists – including Fellowship of Reconciliation’s John Lindsay-Poland, former SOA Watch Prisoner of Conscience Louis Wolf and members of SOA Watch-Columbus – spoke out at the SOA/WHINSEC Board of Visitors’ meeting.
The activists inquired about the transparency of the school that neither releases the names of the graduates and instructors, nor knows how to track them after they leave. Ecuador’s decision to leave the school left a cloud of doubt over the meeting. |
| Ecuador Will Cease Participation In School Of The Americas |
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On Wednesday, June 27, Ecuadoran President Rafaeal Correa, after hearing from a delegation of SOA Watch, has taken the decision to cease sending Ecuadoran soldiers to the School of the Americas. We wish to express our happiness for this decision by the Ecuadoran government, convinced that the School of the Americas – now called the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation –indeed trained and trains Latin American soldiers under the doctrine of National Security, based on fighting the internal enemy. Ecuador joins Venezuela, Uruguay, Argentina and Bolivia, who have pulled out of the SOA. As a result, we call on the other countries of Latin America to stop sending their troops to the School of the Americas as soon as possible. We congratulate President Rafael Correa for this sovereign decision and to finally protect the Ecuadoran people from being subject to future human rights violations. |
| READ A REPORT BACK FROM LISA SULLIVAN, SOA WATCH LATIN AMERICA LIAISON |
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