Causas, justificaciones y pretextos en “el mozote”. El derecho a la verdad como derecho humano y su correlato con el sistema interamericano de derechos humanos

El derecho a la verdad, en tanto concepto jurídico, ha surgido en diferentes ámbitos nacionales, regionales e internacionales de protección de los derechos humanos. Se refiere a la obligación estatal de proporcionar información a las víctimas, a sus familias y a la sociedad en su conjunto sobre las circunstancias en las cuales ocurrieron graves violaciones a los derechos humanos. La verdad es analizada, entonces, como consecuencia de un proceso que involucra la búsqueda de la justicia y el dictado de sentencias que tengan un fin netamente reparador. No obstante, para los sistemas internacionales de salvaguarda tal derecho no ha sido claramente reconocido, al menos de forma convencional. Su mención en estos es escasa y ambigua. Por estos motivos, el presente trabajo tendrá por objeto observar cómo el Sistema Interamericano de Derechos Humanos ha delimitado el derecho a la verdad, tomando como estudio de caso la masacre de El Mozote, El Salvador, en 1981, la cual todavía hoy se encuentra impune, dejando a la sociedad salvadoreña sin justicia ni reparación pero, fundamentalmente, sin memoria.The right to truth, as a legal concept, has emerged in different national, regional and international settings of human rights protection. It refers to the state’s obligation to provide information to the victims, their families, and the society as a whole, about the circumstances in which gross human rights violations were committed. The truth is analyzed, therefore, as the consequence of a process involving the search of justice and the issue of rulings that have a merely reparational goal. However, for the safeguard international systems, this right has not been clearly recognized, at least in a conventional manner. Its mention in these systems is limited and ambiguous. Therefore, this paper aims to study how the Human Rights Inter-American System has defi ned the right to truth, taking as study case the El Mozote Massacre, which took place in El Salvador in 1981. This event still today remains unpunished, leaving the Salvadorian society without justice or reparation, but fundamentally without memory

El cuerpo y la memoria como emblemas de participación juvenil

El objetivo de este artículo es analizar continuidades. Esto significa pensar las permanencias existentes en el proceso de participación que los jóvenes, de distintas épocas, protagonizan. No siempre se realizó de la misma manera, ya que no existe homogeneidad en las "tácticas",en las formas en que los más débiles luchan, o mejor dicho, resisten a las "estrategias" de los más fuertes. La táctica, para M. de Certeau, es el arte del débil, se encuentra determinada por la ausencia de poder, es astuta, obra poco a poco, aprovechando las ocasiones de imponerse imperceptiblemente a su oponente. No pueden generalizarse los resultados ni tampoco sus objetivos, sin embargo, pueden visualizarse ciertas continuidades dentro del movimiento juvenil que permiten visualizarlos como los principales protagonistas de movimientos de reclamo frente a situaciones de injusticia variada. Esto nos permitiría pensar en la prolongación del pasado reciente vivo en el presente vivid

Optimization of sulfuric acid hydrolysis conditions for preparation of nanocrystalline cellulose from enzymatically pretreated fibers

NCC preparation using sulfuric acid hydrolysis from cellulase pretreated fibers was optimized in order to obtain the highest possible yield with 62% and 65% wt. sulfuric acid throughout two statistical plans. At optimal conditions (10U/g odp cellulase, 25 min hydrolysis, 47 ºC and 62 % wt. H2SO4) high yields were obtained (=80%) including an increase produced by enzyme of ~9 %. Optimal conditions produced nanosized particles of around ~200 nm with a reduced surface charge and sulfur content. The performed optimization allowed reducing the hydrolysis time in a 44%, and also increasing yield in more than 10% compared to results exposed in previous works. The effects of cellulase pretreatment were noticeable even under aggressive hydrolysis conditions, emphasizing its possibilities. Zeta potential and polydispersity indexes indicated that all studied conditions leaded to good quality final products, with values among -50 mV and 0.2, respectively. TEM analysis confirmed the presence of NCC and suggested morphological differences between samples. Finally FTIR analysis provided evidence that cellulase treatment increased crystallinity of both cellulose fibers and NCC, and also increased accessibility to fibers, supporting data obtained from NCCPostprint (author's final draft

Armed Groups and the Protection of Health Care

That armed groups have been responsible for attacks against health care personnel and for violating the protection of health care is not news. This is one of the greatest humanitarian challenges of contemporary armed conflict. Armed groups, however, have also attempted to evacuate and treat wounded enemy fighters and civilians and, in certain contexts, they have even provided health care services for the civilian population living in the territories under their control. This article describes some of the key issues related to the variation of armed groups’ behaviors when dealing with the protection of health care, inquiring into why some groups have attacked health care facilities, personnel, and transports, while others have taken positive steps to ensure their protection and the provision of health care. The last part of this article introduces the approach undertaken by Geneva Call when engaging these non-State actors and discusses its new Deed of Commitment on the Protection of Health Care in Armed Conflict

Not the Usual Suspects: Religious Leaders as Influencers of International Humanitarian Law Compliance

It is undeniable that the effectiveness of international humanitarian law (IHL) faces challenges from different quarters. To address these, humanitarian organizations have, in the main, pursued a direct engagement strategy with the parties to a conflict. Although this has remained the dominant strategy to date, in the last two decades the humanitarian sector has, on an ad hoc basis and without the benefit of a solid evidence base, engaged other societal actors identified as having the potential to influence parties to armed conflict, and among them religious leaders. This chapter addresses the role of these leaders in influencing compliance (or lack thereof) with IHL by States and non-State armed groups. In particular, two issues are explored: 1) what makes religious leaders influential among their constituencies?, and 2) how can they be useful actors to increase respect for IHL in armed conflict

El cuerpo y la memoria como emblemas de participación juvenil

El objetivo de este artículo es analizar continuidades. Esto significa pensar las permanencias existentes en el proceso de participación que los jóvenes, de distintas épocas, protagonizan. No siempre se realizó de la misma manera, ya que no existe homogeneidad en las “tácticas”, en las formas en que los más débiles luchan, o mejor dicho, resisten a las “estrategias” de los más fuertes. La táctica, para M. de Certeau, es el arte del débil, se encuentra determinada por la ausencia de poder, es astuta, obra poco a poco, aprovechando las ocasiones de imponerse imperceptiblemente a su oponente. No pueden generalizarse los resultados ni tampoco sus objetivos, sin embargo, pueden visualizarse ciertas continuidades dentro del movimiento juvenil que permiten visualizarlos como los principales protagonistas de movimientos de reclamo frente a situaciones de injusticia variada. Esto nos permitiría pensar en la prolongación del pasado reciente vivo en el presente vivido.Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educació

To detain, or not to detain: a functional approach to non-state armed groups’ activities in non-international armed conflicts

During armed conflict, non-State armed groups (NSAGs) deprive individuals of their liberty on a regular basis. Yet, examining these activities goes beyond their mere acknowledgment. This thesis explores the legal regulation of NSAGs’ detention activities in non-international armed conflicts (NIACs) from a functional perspective. It does so by concentrating on NSAGs’ practices in this field, presenting and testing the hypothesis that international humanitarian law (IHL) and, on certain occasions, international human rights law (IHRL) oblige these actors not to arbitrarily deprive individuals of their liberty. Furthermore, it argues that NSAGs must have a legal basis in order to undertake these activities. By relying on a “legal pluralistic” approach of international law, that basis is to be found in those “laws” and regulations established by the groups themselves. Other options are also possible, such as the adaption of the State’s domestic law or an agreement concluded with a third party. This proposal is grounded on the “functions” required by the aforementioned legal regimes to be respected, in particular for the parties (be they States or NSAGs) to adopt certain law-making or law-adapting functions with the goal of complying with some of the provisions contained therein.Exploring the Frontiers of International La