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Article

26 Apr 2007

Author:
Cyril Mychalejko, upsidedownworld.org

U.N.: Mercenary Industry Poses Problems for Latin America

The [UN] quietly released a report in March exposing an array of human rights abuses associated with a growing mercenary industry that is recruiting large numbers from Latin American countries. "We have observed that in some cases the employees of private military and security companies enjoy an immunity which can easily become impunity..." said Jose Luis Gomez del Prado, Chairperson-Rapporteur of the U.N. Working Group on the Use of Mercenaries...before the Human Rights Council...In addition, the report expresses worry about the "phenomenon" of Latin American government outsourcing domestic security and military functions to the private sector...According to the Working Group...[a] number of Honduran nationals working in Iraq for a subsidiary of the Illinois-based Your Solutions Inc., are believed to have suffered "...harsh working conditions...ill-treatment and isolation, and lack of basic necessities..."...On Dec. 4, 2006 Dionisio Díaz García, a lawyer...was shot in the head while driving...to court where he was scheduled to represent a group of security guards who had their labor rights violated. [refers to DynCorp, Blackwater USA]