Protests in Panama and Guatemala
Central American News
In Brief
Hi Readers, Welcome back!
Here are this week’s highlights:
Protest continues in Panama while Indigenous organizations in Guatemala resumed demonstrations.
Honduras and Costa Rica suspended the reciprocal imposition of entry visas by land and air.
President Nayib Bukele announced that he will register his candidacy for the upcoming elections while Nuestro Tiempo members request that he is not endorsed.
Greetings,
The Central American News Team
Headlines
Migration
📰Expeditious Passage: Panama and Costa Rica announced a plan of quick and orderly passage for irregular migrants crossing the Darien jungle. Since October 9th, 2023, 200 buses have been transporting migrants to the border between Costa Rica and Nicaragua to create what they are calling a more orderly migration flow.
📰Migration Summit: The presidents of Mexico, Cuba, Venezuela, and other leaders of the region called on destination countries to end ‘inconsistent and selective policies” and for an end to “unilateral, coercive measures” imposed on countries. They also called for broadening above-board, legal, and safe paths by which migrants can travel to destination countries.
📰US Visit: The US Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Brian A. Nichols will meet with government representatives and various actors in Guatemala and El Salvador this week to discuss democracy, human rights, and migration.
Guatemala
📰Demonstrations: Indigenous organizations in Guatemala resumed demonstrations to demand the dismissal of the attorney general and head of the Public Ministry, Consuelo Porras. They also call for the resignation of prosecutors Cinthia Monterroso and Rafael Curruchiche, as well as Judge Fredy Orellana.
📰US Visit: President-elect, Bernardo Arévalo, and the Vice President-elect, Karin Herrera, spoke with the US Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Brian A. Nichols. During this meeting they addressed various topics of regional and bilateral importance, such as the democratic transition process and dialogue as a solution to the political crisis in the country, among others.
📰Journalist Trial: The Second Chamber of the Court of Appeals of Guatemala annulled the sentence imposed in June by the Eighth Sentencing Court on businessman and journalist José Rubén Zamora. The appeal was filed by the Attorney General's Office considering that there were defects of form and substance in the process against Zamora.
Panama
📰Minera Panamá: The president of Panama approved a new mining concession contract. According to the law, the new contract with Minera Panamá establishes that the company must pay an annual royalty of at least $375 million, according to the value of copper in the market, and that the payment must be made retroactive to December 2021. The concession is for 20 years, and the company could request an extension for that same amount of time.
📰Protest: October 25 marks the third consecutive day of protests and street closures in Panama. It is in response to the recently approved contract law between the State and Minera Panamá. Educators announced that they agreed to extend the work stoppage in rejection of Law 406 of 2023.
📰New Business: The Superior Court for Settlement of Criminal Cases confirmed the sentence of former president Ricardo Martinelli Berrocal for money laundering in the New Business case. He was sentenced to 128 months in prison and fined $19.2 million.
Costa Rica
📰Consular Visa: Honduras and Costa Rica suspended the reciprocal imposition of entry visas by land and air. They will request a criminal record certificate to be presented at the respective immigration posts. The measure will not apply to diplomats and transporters will be able to move with their license. A joint technical security meeting to address the challenges and fight against transnational organized crime was also announced.
📰Bank Heist: Authorities are investigating the disappearance of 3.3 billion colones ($6.2 million) from Costa Rica’s national bank, Banco Nacional. The state-owned Bank has filed complaints with the Public Ministry against five workers for embezzlement. No arrests have been made.
📰Internet Freedom: Costa Rica remains among the top 5 nations ranked for Internet Freedom according to the political advocacy nonprofit Freedom House. The country fell one place as the report highlighted president Rodrigo Chaves’ use of internet trolls during his 2022 election campaign.
Honduras
📰Consular Visa: Honduras and Costa Rica suspended the consular visa requirement ongoing between both countries since October 6 with immediate effect. The agreement holds exceptions for tourism as a police record certificate is required for Hondurans to enter Costa Rica. The measure does not apply to diplomats and carriers.
📰Migration: Migrants are reportedly entering Honduras through El Paraiso and Choluteca paying up to 70 USD to continue their journey into Guatemala. Making most of the migrant influx are Haitians and Cubans. Honduras is expected to report a higher number of migrants in October than the 90,000 registered in September.
📰Education: Honduras expresses concern over a rise in children being removed from the education system due to poverty. A total of 5,231 students were taken out of schools between August 22 and October 9. Most students abandoning the classrooms are reportedly from Cortés, Francisco Morazán, Yoro, Atlántida, Comayagua, and Olancho.
El Salvador
📰Elections: President Nayib Bukele announced that he will register his candidacy for the upcoming elections. The president of Nuestro Tiempo and its presidential candidate, presented a brief at the offices of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal requesting for the entity not to endorse his candidacy. Six articles in the Constitution were referred to which prohibit continuous presidential re-election.
📰Femicide: A recent report from the Organization of Salvadoran Women for Peace (ORMUSA), indicates that at least 28 femicides of girls and adolescents have been recorded since January 2020 to September 2023. ORMUSA calls for works on prevention, investigation, and punishment for all types of violence, especially towards minors.
📰Power Station: The 3 de Febrero Hydroelectric Power Plant was inaugurated on Sunday. It was completed after being under construction for 15 years with the hopes of lowering electrical service costs in the country. The Presidency reported in a statement that it will send to the Legislative Assembly a bill that aims to reduce electricity rates by 14% retroactively now that the dam is operating.
Nicaragua
📰Property Confiscation: The Nicaraguan government canceled the legal personality and confiscated the assets of the order of the Franciscan Minor Friars and 16 NGOs. According to the Ministry of Interior they failed to comply with laws on reporting their financial position. The property of the religious order that has been in the country for 58 years was immediately occupied by the police.
📰Migration: Numbers from the General Budget of Nicaragua show the magnitude of the benefit that the Ortega regime is achieving with the migration crisis. Income from remittances is at a record high with record revenues also for migration and immigration services.
📰Sanctions: The Government of Switzerland, through the Federal Department of Economic Affairs renewed sanctions against 21 officials and 3 institutions of the Ortega regime identified as responsible for serious human rights violations and the undermining of democracy in the country. Among those sanctioned are Rosario Murillo and three of her children.
Belize
📰EU Blacklist: Belize was listed as one of the newly added countries by the Council of the European Union to a list of 16 nations and territories considered "non-cooperative" on taxes. The Government of Belize rejected the designation of the country and said this “automatic” listing is “unjust and procedurally unfair, which leads to erroneous conclusions.”
📰Crime: Six people have been killed in less than a week. Five men and one toddler have lost their lives to violence since last Thursday. So far, police have made one arrest in one of the six murders but are seeking the suspects in the other cases.
📰Indigenous Land: Villagers and leaders of Yemeri Grove and Laguna Village are scheduled to meet and discuss with the Government of Belize an interim agreement regarding the ongoing tension over a boundary line between both villages. A Government press release stated that “both parties agreed not to undertake in the disputed area” as a measure to de-escalate tensions.
Central American Art
The Qonoj’el’ collective brought together artists from Patzún, Chimaltenango to paint a mural reflecting the strength of women and the community. During the peaceful demonstrations in Guatemala, the group of artists came together to paint a mural showing the unity of the people and the strength of women. In the mural, you can see three women wearing the traditional Chimaltenango clothing: an elderly, an older, and a young one with the Guatemalan flag.
Good Reads
📌Belize: How the leader of Belize’s first all-female cooperative is keeping Maya traditions alive (National Geographic).
📌Panama|Costa Rica : Costa Rica and Panama take steps to create the first chip hub in Central America (Forbes).
📌Honduras: Honduras, the country where the Bukele method failed (EL PAÍS).
Good News
✨Podcast Award: Honduran podcast “Archivos Enigma” won the Latin Podcast Award.
✨TEDxGuatemala: Successful Guatemalan women will reunite at the TEDxGuatemalaCityWomen 2023 conference to share their journey and success.
✨Voces con ECO: BAC promotes environmental protection with its “Yo Me Uno Talks” initiative, called “Voces con ECO”, to generate prosperity in the communities it serves.
Events
📅Tour of Legends: The Tour of Legends will take place in Cerrito del Carmen, zone 1 of Guatemala City. El Sombrerón and La Llorona will be some of the iconic characters that will come to life. The scheduled dates are October 27th, 28th, 31st, and November 3rd and 4th2023.
📅¿Qué eres?: The public presentation of the documentary ¿Qué eres? will be held on October 26th at the Auditorium CRAI UNAH in Honduras from 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. It explores issues of family diversity and racism through Anayansi Prado's journey to her native country, Panama. Free admission.
📅Art Exhibition: Exhibition of the selected winners of the 'Roberto Lewis' National Visual Arts Competition will be held on October 30 at 7:00 p.m. at the Juan Manuel Cedeño Gallery, Plaza de Francia, Casco Antiguo. Free admission.
Central American Tradition
Belize celebrates Finados on the 1st and 2nd of November to honor loved ones who have departed. This tradition of remembering and honoring the dead stems from the Mayan belief that there is life after death. Altars are adorned with candles and photos of the dearly departed. You can also find the favorite food and treats of the departed along with tamales and the traditional corn porridge (Ixpasa) made especially for this occasion. Among other practices, participants also place wreaths and candles at the cemetery.
The Team
Editor: Mindrid Tesucum
Coordinating team: Karla Saenz Porras, Kayla Alamilla, Shahrazad Encinias
Social media: Abigail Galvez-Aguirre
News curators: Pablo Arauz (Costa Rica), Kirsten Cintigo (El Salvador), Luna Cordóba (Nicaragua), Rodrigo Medina and Joan Collins (Panama), Allison Aguilar (Honduras), Rafael Padilla (Guatemala), Elliaz Luna (Belize), Oliver Martínez López (Migration)
Film curator: Robert Zuniga