Honduras' 'Dirty' Election Campaign
Dear Readers,
Bitcoin made the international headlines again with President Bukele's announcement to create a tax-free "Bitcoin city" in El Salvador, which is sure to spur much debate. This news overshadows other regional news; two campesino leaders were murdered in neighboring Honduras last week. Groups demand justice in what they call the country's "agrarian conflict."
Political violence increased in Honduras, both in words and deeds, since the 2017 elections. Political disinformation and hate speech against candidates abound, and there has been, since the call to vote for the primary elections in October 2020, at least 27 violent deaths related to politics. In Panama, too, an official and politician was murdered last week.
Our Panama news has been coming from two new curators who are working as a team, Joan Collins, a Panamanian journalist, and Rodrigo Medina, a journalist part of the Gunadule community of Panama. We are so happy to have them on the team!
Joan would like to share a quote with you from Audre Lorde:
"I have come to believe over and over again that what is most important to me must be spoken, made verbal and shared, even at the risk of having it bruised or misunderstood."
Have a great week!
Salú,
Melissa
PS: Don't forget to scroll for useful data, analyses, and an amazing new podcast the team found!
Headlines
Migration
📰 Caravan: Migrants from Haiti and Central America have formed a caravan en route to the U.S. through Mexico, drawing criticism from the Mexican government. Texas governor has set up a “steel wall” and personnel along the border to deter migration into the state.
📰 DHS: General Attorneys from Arizona, Montana, and Ohio are suing to stop new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) immigration guidelines, which focus on apprehending and removing migrants deemed threats to national, public, and border security. // The DHS will no longer release migrants from detention without immigration court dates. // The Biden administration continues to expel tens of thousands of migrants arrested at the US-Mexico border under a Trump-era public health order.
📰 Build Back Better: The Biden administration’s Build Back Better Act includes over $100 billion in funds for immigration reform. Migrant justice organizers are demanding green cards and a path to citizenship.
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Belize
📰 We are looking for a volunteer Belize news curator (2h/week), please share and reach out to us!
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Costa Rica
📰 Operación Diamante: In the fallout from last week’s nationwide anti-corruption raids, auditors complained of a lack of resources in the municipalities where six mayors were arrested for allegedly taking bribes from construction company Meco. The mayors have been suspended from their posts for six months.
📰 COVID-19: A court halted President Carlos Alvarado’s order for residents and visitors to use a QR code verification system to prove vaccination in various sectors while business groups claim it’s harmful to the economy. Meanwhile, Pfizer announced an expansion of operations in the country to "benefit the region."
📰 Student Data Breach: The Minister of Education, Giselle Cruz, resigned last week after federal prosecutors revealed a data breach involving exams that requested information from students about their socioeconomic status. Educators and unions have criticized the exams as inappropriate for children and a violation of their rights.
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El Salvador
📰 Bitcoin City: After El Salvador hosted a large bitcoin conference with hundreds of international investors last week, President Nayib Bukele announced plans for a “Bitcoin City”. It would be the first city built with crypto bonds and powered by volcano, and it would be tax-free (except for VAT). This idea has been compared to the FMLN’s proposal for Special Economic Zones and ZEDE’s in Honduras.
📰 Raids: Seven civil society organizations were raided by the police on Nov. 22 on allegations of embezzlement investigations. Las Mélidas, one of the organizations affected, denounced the raid and political persecution against NGOs. Multiple organizations have shared their solidarity with these groups and some compared it to tactics used during El Salvador's Civil War.
📰 U.S. Relations: On Monday Nov. 22, acting U.S. Ambassador Jean Manes announced her resignation due to President Bukele’s increasingly uncooperative relationship with her and the U.S. A new ambassador has not been named yet.
📰 General Budget: The government’s budget proposal for next year includes reducing funding for women’s programs. According to GatoEncerrado, this has been an ongoing trend since President Bukele took office.
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Guatemala
📰 Politics: Last weekend, the Vamos party of Zury Ríos and the Unionist Party of the Arzu family welcomed a former Minister of the Jimmy Morales government who boycotted the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG). Also, Miguel Martínez, former head of the Government Center and close to President Alejandro Giammattei, was elected president of the Tribunal of Honor of the Vamos Party.
📰 Covid-19: The Ministry of Health announced that it is preparing a plan to apply a third dose of vaccines against COVID-19. In this phase, priority will be given to health personnel on the frontlines and people over 70 years old. This occurs as the country faces a vaccine shortage.
📰 Corruption Allegation: A scandal broke out when it became known that the Municipal Water Company (Empagua) pays a supplier Q450 thousand a month (58,223$) for services related to plumbing. That prompted the Acción Ciudadana organization to file a complaint against the mayor of Guatemala City, Ricardo Quiñónez, the president of Empagua, and the contractor.
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Honduras
📰 Elections: Presidential candidates and political party leaders gave their closing remarks this past week, asking for the the population’s vote in Nov. 28 general elections. There were allegations that the National Party mayor candidate for Tegucigalpa, David Chavez, was inebriated during his speech. // Political violence increased since the previous 2017 electoral period. To date, 64 cases of political violence have been documented for this 2021 electoral period. // U.S. official Brian Nichols visited Honduras to "underline that the US wants the country to hold free and fair presidential elections."
📰 Land Defenders: Campesino leaders and land defenders Celenia Bonilla and Nelson García were murdered past Sunday in the municipality of Guaimaca, Francisco Morazán. They had led territorial struggles for over 10 years.
📰 Beauty Pageant: The Honduran model Sirey Moran won the beauty pageant ‘Nuestra Belleza Latina,’ making her the first Honduran woman to win the title.
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Nicaragua
📰 Diplomacy: Nicaragua left the Organization of American States due to the “constant attacks against Nicaraguan sovereignty". The process will not be complete until November 2023. The OAS is expected to give a report before November 30, which could speed up the suspension of Nicaragua in the OAS’ assembly. // The Inter American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) said that Nicaragua is not respecting this court's orders to release political prisoners.
📰 Human Rights: 15 human rights organizations, including the IACHR and Amnesty International, reported that Nicaragua has committed crimes against humanity in the last three years and requested the United Nations to monitor this on the ground.
📰 COVID-19: The PAHO reported that Nicaraguan health authorities confirmed the presence of four COVID-19 variants, more than five months after the initial request. Contagion rates have slowed down in recent weeks after a peak last September. The government reports a 60% vaccination rate, but does not confirm if people have received all required doses.
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Panama
📰 Murder: The leader of the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD) and Deputy Director of the Public Registry, Agustín Lara, was murdered on Nov.14. The murder occurred while he was participating in a PRD registration process. The National Police is offering 10,000 US dollars to anyone who provides information leading to the apprehension of Yeísmo Felipe Possu Mera, allegedly implicated in the murder. Minister of Security, Juan Pino, said that the murder's motivation will be made public when the investigation is completed.
📰 Food: By 2022, the price of the basic food basket, made of 59 products, is projected to increase. The president of the National Union of Consumers and Users, Pedro Acosta, said that the increase in international gasoline prices contributes to inflation. In October, the basic food basket was worth 272.67 US dollars.
📰 Soccer: Minutes after Panama played a soccer match against El Salvador on November 16, Cristian Martínez, player of the national team, was arrested at his residence in El Chorrillo after shots were heard in the neighborhood. The police detained him and his wife, leaving their son alone in the car, and released them later.
🎧 A Forest of Stories
Alianza Mesoamericana, an alliance of indigenous and local communities throughout Mexico and Central America, is producing this podcast of short episodes narrating the" cultural wealth, full of stories, anecdotes and legends" of Mesoamerican peoples.
Good Reads
📌Nicaragua Gold Rush: Nicaragua has become “an open-pit paradise to extract gold”, with 60% of the territory open to mining concessions. (Divergentes)
📌'Fake News' in Honduras: Online political disinformation is ubiquitous online in Honduras ahead of the elections. "Social media companies struggle—and often fail—to moderate or punish government-tied disinformation schemes in Latin America." (Time)
📌El Salvador: How the 1989 Jesuits massacre case, which was closed last year, might be reopened by Rodolfo Delgado, the attorney general who was chosen by Nuevas Ideas deputies. (El Faro)
📌 Cardamom: What is the history of cardamom in the Verapaz region of Guatemala? (Verapaseando)
Data
The Monitor, a regional initiative developed by several organizations in the U.S., Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, delivers interesting data regarding militarization, violence against human rights defenders and gender inequality.
Miss Belize becomes Miss Earth
Destiny Wagner, Belizean, won the title of Miss Earth 2021. She is the first Belizean to win a "Big 4" crown (Miss Universe, Miss World, Miss International, Miss Earth). Wagner said she’s focused on the sustainability of marine life and conservation of our natural resources and children’s rights.
Film awards
Salvadoran documentary Imperdonable (Unforgivable) produced by El Faro won the Gabo Image Award for Spanish and Portuguese language journalism.
Patreon
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The Team
Belize News Curator is needed!
Melissa Vida, Founder, Editor-in-Chief
Jonathan Peraza Campos, Migration News
Pablo Arauz Peña, Costa Rica News
Jalileh García, Honduras News
Jody García, Guatemala News
Joan Collins and Rodrigo Medina, Panama News
Kirsten Cintigo, El Salvador News
Natalie Leach, Social Media Manager
Vivian Ramos, Twitter Manager
José Martínez, Cecilia Rivas, Andres Guillen, Podcast Producers
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