Central American News
New prison unveiled in El Salvador while Guantanamo Bay prisoner resettles in Belize.
In Brief
In El Salvador, President Nayib Bukele unveiled a new prison that can hold up to 40,000 prisoners. Many critics find it “worrisome” because of the lack of rehabilitation resources. While the Nicaraguan government continues to arrest people for political reasons. Since the end of January 2023, they have detained 245 people. In Guatemala, a former lawyer for journalist José Ruben Zamora was sent to prison for the crime of conspiracy to obstruct justice. This is the latest action in the persecution of dissident voices in the country. Meanwhile, the US government transferred a “high-value detainee” from Guantanamo Bay to resettle in Belize.
It is the start of a new school year for most of Central America. In Costa Rica the Ministry of Education launched a new plan requiring that students know how to read and write to pass the first grade. While in Panama the Ministry of Education is incorporating chess as a part of the Physical Education subject to promote discipline.
On the other hand, Honduras faces an upward trend of pregnancies in young girls and adolescents due to the lack of access to sex education. It adds to the issue of women migrating due to gender violence in the country. US Vice President Kamala Harris stated that companies and organizations have pledged about $4.2 billion to support industries in the region and to strengthen its economic security to address root causes of migration. Belize’s “manatee man,” Jamal Galves, made The Explorers Club 50 for his conservation work as one of the individuals changing the world.
The Central American News Team
Photo Credit to Secretaría de Prensa, Presidencia de la República de El Salvador
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Headlines
Migration
📰 Public-Private Partnership: U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris stated that about 47 private companies and organizations have pledged about $4.2 billion to support the financial services, textile, agriculture, technology, and telecommunication sectors in Central America to strengthen its economic security and address root causes of migration.
📰Long-Term Solution: Critics say that Vice President Harris’ investment plan in Central America does little to address the immediate challenges at the Southern border. Instead, it may slow down irregular migration many years down the line.
📰End to Title 42: The Biden administration announced that the COVID-19 emergency will expire on May 11th, possibly ending the Trump-era Title 42. The Title 42 order allowed the U.S. to expel migrants and asylum seekers at the Southern border over public health concerns. It may be lifted once the public health emergency is over, or until the CDC determines that it is not needed to protect public health.
Central America
📰SICA Council of Foreign Ministers: The chairmanship of the Council of Foreign Ministers for the Central American Integration System (SICA) was handed over to Hon. Eamon Courtenay, Belize’s Minister of Foreign Affairs. He will hold the position for six months.
📰Economic Recovery: Before the global pandemic, 30 million people already lived in poverty in Central America, which means the severity of the economic impacts from COVID-19 are calamitous. Due to malnutrition and food insecurity doubling in 2021, the percentage of Central Americans who considered migrating increased from 8 percent in 2019 to 43 percent in 2021.
📰Pok-Ta-Pok: The Association of Pok-Ta-Pok of Central America and the Caribbean announce that Belize will host the fifth annual Pok-Ta-Pok World Cup on December 8. Seven countries within the region will participate, each with two male teams, and for the first time, a female team from Belize, Mexico, and Guatemala.
El Salvador
📰Espionage: According to documents obtained by El Faro, El Salvador’s National Civil Police obtained access to spyware software and equipment through a $2.2 million contract with the Israeli company, Eyetech Solutions. Eyetech previously had an $89.4 million contract in El Salvador to provide video surveillance cameras. The company is also known for distributing other Israeli products such as Pegasus software, which was used against 35 journalists and activists last year.
📰Incarceration: Recently, President Nayib Bukele unveiled a new prison in Tecoluca that can house up to 40,000 people. Critics called this new prison “worrisome” and cited the lack of rehabilitation resources provided.
📰Education: Public schools resumed classes this week with more than 1.2 million students enrolled. The head of the Ministry of Education, Jose Mauricio Pineda, says talks with teachers’ unions will also resume after being put on hold last October.
Nicaragua
📰Political prisoners: On February 4, the Mechanism for the recognition of political prisoners in Nicaragua, reported an increase of ten people in the number of detainees. As of 31 January, 245 people were arrested for political reasons in different detention centers, 30 are women who are exposed to gender aggression.
📰IAHR-Court hearing: The Nicaraguan government was absent at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IAHR-Court) for the public hearing on 2 February. In the case, Rama and Kriol peoples, Monkey Point Community and the Black Creole Indigenous Community of Bluefields and its members vs. Nicaragua, the government is accused of awarding Indigenous land concessions without consultation for the construction of an inter-oceanic canal.
📰Non-Profit Organizations: The Ministry of Interior Government (Migob) has closed 17 Non-Profit Organizations during the first month of 2023. The Nicaraguan regime has closed 3199 organizations since December 2018.
Belize
📰Guantanamo prisoner: The US transferred Guantanamo Bay prisoner Majid Khan to resettle in Belize. Khan left the US after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, and moved to Pakistan to join al-Qaida. He pleaded guilty to war crimes in 2012 and completed his sentence in March 2022.
📰Mayan Rights: The government of Belize stated that it will reaffirm its commitment to full compliance with the terms of the Consent Order of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) and to the implementation of a Maya Land Policy. In 2015, the CCJ issued the Consent Order confirming that Maya customary land tenure rights fall within the ambit of the Constitution of Belize.
📰Haitian Migrants: There has been an increase of Haitian nationals legally entering Belize but there are no records of them legally exiting. It is speculated that they are irregularly traveling further north with hopes of entering the US.
Costa Rica
📰Stagnant Wages: The Bank of Costa Rica confirms that overall wages for Costa Ricans have remained stagnant despite a slight improvement in the economy before the pandemic. In 2023, the country created 80,000 new jobs and unemployment dropped below pre-pandemic levels. The BCR president says that high inflation with stagnant wages have deteriorated people’s salaries.
📰Education: On Monday, The Ministry of Education launched a new plan for public education in the country. It will be mandatory for students to know how to read and write to pass the first grade. The plan will also strengthen teacher evaluations.
📰Escazú Agreement: Costa Rica leads in promoting the environmental agreement which recognizes the rights of people in Central America and the Caribbean to have a healthy environment. However, the legislative deputies voted to archive the Escazú Agreement. The voting results were 41 no-votes to 11 votes in favor of the agreement.
Panama
📰Biodiversity: Two new species of snakes were discovered in Panama last week. These snail-eating snakes are one of five recently discovered species that live in the jungles of Central and South America. In a new study, researchers describe the new species and explain how gold and copper mining in the region may threaten other snake species.
📰Abuse of power: On Sunday, Leonardo Grispan, journalist of the newspaper La Prensa, reported through social media the violent interruption of the transmission of an event for the ruling party, PRD. Accordingly, the presidential security (SPI), interrupted the transmission of the official launch of the candidacy of Vice President José Gabriel Carrizo for the PRD presidential primaries.
📰Education: Chess is officially part of the Physical Education subject. The Ministry of Education (Meduca) approved to include the teaching of chess as a strategy to promote discipline through an extracurricular activity and pedagogical tool.
Honduras
📰Political: This week is crucial for the election of the 15 magistrates to the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ) since political forces of the National Congress have set 11 February as the deadline. The election has been ongoing since January 25, and is at a standstill due to a lack of consensus. Controversy has arisen over the desire of some to elect an extra 5 substitute magistrates.
📰Birth Rates: Over 35,000 yearly births were reported among young girls and adolescents in Honduras, between ages 10-19. Programs such as the National Plan of Reduction of Maternal Mortality of the Health Secretary (SESAL) exist but lack sufficient funds to promote them in centers of education.
📰Migration: Violence against women is one of the main reasons why women are leaving Honduras. According to the International Organization for Migration (OIM), 17,164 Honduran women and 6,408 girls migrated to the U.S. in 2022. Many were fleeing gender violence but became more exposed to violence while migrating.
Guatemala
📰Elections: The Cambio party declared Manuel Baldizón Méndez as their candidate on the National List. It has been four months since Baldizón was deported from the United States and pleaded guilty to money laundering from drug trafficking. His goal is to join Congress.
📰Incarceration: Mario Castañeda, a former lawyer for journalist José Ruben Zamora, was sent to prison and was prosecuted for the crime of conspiracy to obstruct justice. This is the latest action in the persecution of dissident voices in Guatemala. Zamora has been in jail for more than six months for alleged money laundering.
Central American Art
Francisco Toralla better known as Panchorizo, is a Guatemalan acrobat and comedian. He shares about his career, from juggling in the streets to sharing stages with great international artists.
Good Reads
📌Finding Power in talking about Periods: An educational programme called “The Power of Red Butterflies” is teaching young girls and boys in rural El Salvador about the menstrual process, sexual health, and consent. Traditionally taboo topics, these are now being seen as something positive.
Good News
✨Explorers Club 50: Belize’s Manatee Conservationist, Jamal Galves made The Explorers Club 50 for 2023. It recognizes fifty individuals changing the world by shining a bright light on their extraordinary work.
Events
📅La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge: The four-day canoe race is the longest race of its kind in Central America. It starts at the Hawksworth bridge in the twin towns of San Ignacio and Santa Elena in the Cayo District, and ends at the Belcan Bridge in Belize City. This year, the race is scheduled from March 3-6, 2023.
📅Titiritlán 2023: The largest puppet festival in Guatemala and one of the most important in Central America is scheduled from 2-11 March 2023. The inauguration will take place in Guatemala City, at the Italian Institute of Culture. The main functions of the festival will be held in more than 10 municipalities of Lake Atitlán, in Sololá.
“Rain is falling
falling
and memories keep flooding by
they show me a senseless
world
a voracious
world—abyss
ambush
whirlwind
spur
but I keep loving it
because I do
because of my five senses
because of my amazement
because every morning,
because forever, I have loved it
without knowing why.”
– Claribel Alegría, Nicaraguan and Salvadoran poet and journalist
History
Learn about the history of the Scouts in Guatemala, a global movement that has promoted Guatemalan children and youth for more than 100 years.
The Team
Editorial team: Mindrid Tesucum and Vanessa Lobo-Gradiz
Coordinating team: Karla Saenz Porras, Kayla Alamilla, Shahrazad Encinias
Social media: Abigail Galvez-Aguirre
News curators: Pablo Arauz (Costa Rica), Jody García (Guatemala), Kirsten Cintigo (El Salvador), Luna Cordóba (Nicaragua), Rodrigo Medina and Joan Collins (Panama), Allison Aguilar (Honduras), Oliver Martínez López (Migration)
Film curator: Robert Zuniga