Garifuna people, displaced

Jan 18, 2022

Dear Readers,

Two Garifuna land defenders, Leonard Brown and Luis Gutierrez, were detained and beaten by the Honduran National Police on January 13, according to local sources.

The following day, Leonard was presented in a court for land usurpation charges, while local media denounce tourism business developers monopolizing land and forcibly displacing Garifuna people. Leonard was provisionally released, with his initial court hearing scheduled for Jan. 26. This is the latest in a string of detentions of Garifuna people in Honduras.

Honduran Garifuna human rights activist Miriam Miranda spoke out against the detention, systemic racism, forced displacement and use of brutal force.

Check out more Honduran and other news below, as well as some interesting graphs from El Salvador and U.S. immigration, a new "Greta Thunberg" frog, and a new book release we're excited about!

Our podcast team has also started a new season of episodes for 2022! Listen to our Honduran news curator, Jalileh Garcia, speak about Honduras' new political landscape after the country's historic election.

Salú,

Melissa

Our Podcast

In our first long-form episode of the season, podcast co-producer Andrés Guillen sits down with Honduran News Curator Jalileh Garcia to talk about the state of Honduran politics following Xiomara Castro's historic election. Listen here!

Jalileh Garcia (left) and Andrés Guillen (right)

Headlines

Migration

📰 Caravans: As many as 800 migrants set out from Honduras. // About 350 migrants were found and detained riding the back of a truck in Mexico.

📰 Migrant Health: Coronavirus infections in U.S. ICE detention centers have surged by 520% since the start of 2022. // A California healthcare proposal will remove immigration barriers and expand access to residents regardless of legal status.

📰 Immigration Policy: Several U.S. Senators ask the Biden administration to extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Central American migrants. // A judge ruled that Texas governor Greg Abbott’s “Lone Star Operation” is unconstitutional after the arrest of an asylum seeker.

📰 Extortion: Migrants separated at the border and their relatives face extortion attempts after rumors of government payouts.

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Belize

📰 Economy: Unlike the rest of Central America, Belize and the Caribbean's economy is set to grow in 2022 (by 2.7% to 6.2% for Belize), according to ECLAC.

📰 Diplomacy and Travel: Belize and Russia abolish visa requirement for both countries.

📰 Tourism Health: Starting February 15, 2022, foreign visitors will have to purchase an insurance for COVID-19 related expenses when arriving at the airport.

📰 Water Access: With international loan, Belizean government implements direct access to safe potable water for 800+ households in Libertad and Concepcion Villages, Corozal District.

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Costa Rica

📰 Medical Cannabis: The Costa Rican Congress approved the legalization of medical cannabis and industrial hemp, an initiative that now awaits the signature of the country's president, Carlos Alvarado, who has recently expressed doubts and may veto, or partially veto it.

📰 Gender Violence: The United Nations expressed its concern over the increase of publications and messages that insult and ridicule women participating in politics and in the 2022 electoral campaign in Costa Rica.

📰 Elections: Costa Rica is preparing its next presidential and legislative elections, scheduled for February 6. The Supreme Electoral Tribunal of Costa Rica (TSE) said that the printing of the ballots has been completed.

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El Salvador

📰 Peace Accords: Jan. 16 marked the 30th anniversary of El Salvador's Peace Accords which ended its 12-year civil war. Civil society organizations and hundreds of people participated in a march to commemorate the accords and protest against President Bukele's governance. Police checkpoints were set up. // On Jan. 12, the legislative assembly voted to repeal the law that established Jan. 16 as a day of celebration for the Peace Accords and instead distinguish it as a day to commemorate the victims of the armed conflict.

📰 Spyware: A joint investigation released by Citizen Lab, Access Now and three other organizations revealed that Pegasus surveillance software was found on 37 devices belonging to Salvadoran activists and journalists of El Faro, GatoEncerrado and others. According to the company, the software is only sold to governments. The Association of Journalists of El Salvador presented two notices to the Prosecutor’s Office.

📰 Bitcoin: Bloomberg estimates that El Salvador lost $12 million through its purchases of Bitcoin.

📰 Human Rights: The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) reported that the Salvadoran State will face trial for violating the rights of Beatriz, a woman who, before her death, was denied a termination of her pregnancy despite it presenting a health risk.

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Guatemala

📰 Justice: The Public Ministry filed a request to lift the immunity of Judge Ericka Aifán for allegedly committing the crimes of abuse of authority and breach of duties. The U.S. noted this action as "an effort to obstruct corruption investigations."

📰 Lobbying: The government of President Alejandro Giammattei signed a lobbying contract with the firm Ballard Partners to improve its image in the United States. It cost US$900,000 and it was paid by the government of China Taiwan.

📰 Historic Trial: Former President Otto Pérez Molina, former Vice President Roxana Baldetti and 28 other people are on trial for the La Línea case, a customs fraud network that, according to investigations, defrauded US$4.8 million. This case came to light in 2015 and caused massive citizen demonstrations that led the presidential binomial to resign.

📰 Migration: Guatemala stopped the first migrant caravan of 2022. Last weekend, the National Civil Police intercepted the passage of around 430 Central American migrants. The argument was that they did not meet the immigration and health requirements to cross the country. Most of these people did not have the economic resources to pay for a covid-19 test nor did they have the complete vaccination schedule, as Guatemala required.

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Honduras

📰 Human Rights: Leonard Brown and Luis Gutierrez, two Garifuna land defenders, were detained, beaten, and injured by the National police. The following day, Leonard was presented in a court in Trujillo for "land usurpation" charges. He was provisionally released, with his initial court hearing scheduled for Jan. 26.

📰 Seeking Asylum: Last Saturday, 600 migrants left the from the city of San Pedro Sula to make their way to the United States. Half of them were from Nicaragua, the other were Hondurans. Migrants cite the dire conditions of the country, such as lack of jobs, persecution, and political instability.

📰 New Administration: During the last 12 years, 19 government institutions were created. Given the high costs of maintenance and bureaucracy, the new administration has announced that institutions that have duplicate functions will be eliminated.

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Nicaragua

📰 Mohsen Rezai: Daniel Ortega hosted Iranian "terrorist" wanted by Interpol as special guest during his inauguration. Mohsen Rezai visited Nicaragua as Iran’s Vice President for Economic Affairs, but he is requested by Argentina due to his role in the 1992 and 1994 terrorist attacks in that country. Argentina officially condemned Rezai’s visit to Nicaragua.

📰 Cybercrime Law: Donald Alvarenga is the first opposition activist found guilty with Nicaragua's new Cybercrime Law. Alvarenga was charged with crimes of conspiracy to undermine national integrity and propagation of false news.

📰 Economy: Half of the population is living under the line of poverty, and one of every five Nicaraguans face hunger, according to analyst. // Home delivery workers reveal their lack of social protection and rights.

📰 Migration: A migrant caravan led by Nicaraguans was detained by troops from the Army and the Guatemalan National Police (PNC). The agents and soldiers "sprayed tear gas and used their clubs and shields" on the group of migrants.

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Panama

📰 Odebrecht: The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor, Anilú Batista, revealed that Brazilian conglomerate Odebrecht has only paid Panama $52.7 million for bribes, and owes $18.3 million for 2020 and 2021.

📰 New Frog Species: A new species of frog was found in the Chucantí Private Nature Reserve, between the province of Panama and Darien, was named Greta Thunberg in honor of the young Swedish activist. The frog was discovered by Dr. Abel Batista from Panama and Dr. Konrad Mebert from Switzerland. The Ministry of Environment said that Cerro Chucantí has lost more than 30% of its forest cover in past years.

New frog species found in Panama

The frog has been named "Greta Thunberg" in honor of the young Swedish activist

New Book

"Fresh Banana Leaves: Healing Indigenous Landscapes Through Indigenous Science," is a book by Dr. Jessica Hernandez--Maya Ch'orti' and Zapotec environmental scientist, whose father was a teen resistance fighter during the civil war in 1970s El Salvador. She gave an interview to Vox, which we highly recommend.