Yachts, Cybercrime Law, Political Merengue
Dear Readers,
Two weeks after being extradited from Guatemala to the U.S., Luis Enrique Martinelli Linares, son of former President Ricardo Martinelli (2009 - 2014), pleaded guilty in a New York court for conspiring with his brother to launder $28 million in bribes from Odebrecht. Martinelli Linares admitted that he used part of the funds to buy a yacht and real estate in the United States.
Further north, Xiomara Castro is officially set to become Honduras’ next president in a democratic shift, promising changes for Honduras, while in Nicaragua, social media users are at risk of being arrested for spreading “fake news” under the new Cybercrime law.
Check out more news below, along with a Honduran political song and news of Central Americans who have been recognized for their efforts in different fields. Thanks for following us.
Salú,
Melissa
Headlines
Migration
📰 Remain in Mexico: The Biden administration relaunched the “Remain in Mexico” program in El Paso, Texas. Attorneys warned that “people are going to die.”
📰 Migrant caravan: A migrant caravan heading to the U.S. turned around as migrants cited illness and exhaustion. About 2,000 migrants, mainly from central America and the Caribbean, left southern Mexico on Sunday. // Thousands of migrant women and girls remain in limbo in Tapachula, Mexico, near the Guatemalan border. They have been arriving since October 2018. Plaza Pública was in Tapachula.
📰 U.S., Mexican Aid: Mexico, US announce plan for aid to Central America called ““Planting Opportunities” and operated by Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation (Amexcid) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
📰 Nicaraguans: Mexico detained 11,000 Nicaraguan migrants this year, out of 228.115 people.
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Belize
📰 We are looking for a Belize news curator, hit us up!
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Costa Rica
📰 Fractures in the System: Costa Rican society is suffering from social inequality and corruption, according to a study from Universidad Nacional. The study says that there is a significant income gap despite economic growth. Meanwhile, social policies created to reduce poverty and improve social mobility have not achieved expected results in the past decade.
📰Internet in Schools: The Superintendency of Communications has made little progress in reaching its goal to connect 516 educational centers throughout the country in 2021. So far it has only connected 47 schools while students need the internet the most due to the pandemic.
📰COVID-19: The government implemented its QR code verification system for residents and visitors to prove their vaccination status. The system has been criticized by the private sector for its potential impact on the economy. The government maintains it is to protect the public’s health.
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El Salvador
📰 Abortion: The Inter-American Court of Human Rights found the Salvadoran State guilty of rights violations that led to the death of Manuela, a woman sentenced to prison for having an abortion despite suffering an obstetric emergency. Relatedly, several European conservative groups attempted to sue and prevent the court from finding the state guilty.
📰 Water: On Nov. 29, the Attorney General’s Office began the judicial process for seven water justice activists. They are facing charges for allegedly violently occupying privatized property while protesting the extraction of water in Hacienda La Labor by real estate company Fénix SA de CV. According to the activists, the company is extracting water without the correct permits, thereby cutting access to water for 22,000 families.
📰 Civil War: The Justice and Human Rights commission in the Legislative Assembly, with a majority of Nuevas Ideas and GANA deputies, is discussing a transitional justice bill. The deputies decided against discussing the bill prepared by civil society organizations. Rebecca Santos, president of the commission, said that the organization Pro Busquéda, which aims to reunify families affected by the war, is politically biased.
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Guatemala
📰 Malnutrition: The Health’s Ministry program for the Prevention of Childhood Mortality and Chronic Malnutrition has suffered a new cut of Q137.5 million this year, despite the fact that one of two Guatemalan children under the age of five suffers from chronic malnutrition. In 2021, deaths from acute malnutrition have almost tripled compared to last year.
📰 Journalism: A judge issued an arrest warrant against journalist Juan Luis Font. The journalist is accused of allegedly receiving money for "good press” on Alejandro Sinibaldi, former Minister of Communications and former presidential candidate. Font has rejected these allegations and assures that the Public Ministry seeks to silence critical voices. Former anti-corruption prosecutor Juan Francisco Sandoval commented that this procedure does not follow legal jurisprudence, as Font is not linked to a criminal case.
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Honduras
📰 Xiomara Castro: Xiomara Castro, of the Libre party, has been recognized as future President of Honduras with 50,49 % of votes and will assume power on January 27, 2022. She represents a leftist turn in the country and is the first female president of Honduras.
📰 Women’s Rights: Many women have manifested hope that President-elect Xiomara Castro will create policies that protect women from discrimination, gender-based violence, and offer them economic opportunities.
📰 Electoral Fraud: There have been complaints that fraud has been committed during the Congress elections, favoring the National and Liberal parties candidates. Fraud complaints were brought to the attention of the National Electoral Council.
📰 Guapinol Defenders: The trial against the eight environmental defenders of Guapinol and San Pedro rivers has started on Dec.1 after spending over two years in what the United Nations call an arbitrary imprisonment. Lawyers say that the activists have been imprisoned based on State-sponsored criminalization to protect mining interests of the company Inversiones Los Pinares.
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Nicaragua
📰 Cybercrime Law: The latest political prisoners are being charged through the Cybercrime Law for sharing fake news and “conspiring” against national integrity. The Holy See apostolic nuncio (ambassador) to Nicaragua said that he is “interceding” for the freedom of political prisoners.
📰 Corruption: The Nicaraguan government is diverting IMF loans meant to combat the pandemic to pay state debts. About 88% of allocated funds to combat the pandemic have not been used yet.
📰 Indigenous Groups: The Pri Laka indigenous social movement, of Miskito origin, denounced that settlers (unauthorized land invaders) threatened two of its communities with “being burned” to force the natives to abandon their homes.
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Panama
📰 Schools: The Afro-Panamanian Youth Network denounced a local school for committing an act of racism against a student for wearing his afro hair. According to the school, the student was expelled for not complying with the internal rules of "sanitation and neatness". The Ministry of Education (MEDUCA) and the Ombudsman's Office have not commented on the matter yet.
📰 Odebrecht: On Dec. 2, Luis Enrique Martinelli Linares, son of former President Ricardo Martinelli (2009 - 2014) pleaded guilty in a New York court for conspiring with his brother to launder $28 million in bribes from Odebrecht. The main objective was "to benefit a close relative, a high-ranking official in Panama”. Martinelli Linares admitted that he used part of the funds to buy a yacht and real estate in the United States. The sentence is scheduled for May 20, 2022.
📰 Arrest: The Panamanian National Police carried out Operation Fisher and apprehended 56 people, including 9 public officials. The goal was to dismantle an organization providing logistical support to the prominent Colombian drug cartel Clan del Golfo. During the operation, the police located a stash of more than $10 million in a residence in the province of Colon.
LGBTQ+ Representation in Politics
Victory Fund awarded gay Guatemalan congressman, Aldo Dávila. In 2019, he became the first openly gay man elected to Guatemala’s congress with the Winaq movement, a leftist party founded by Rigoberta Menchú.
Good Reads
📌Indigenous people: Activist Iduvina Hernández Batres writes about “the silent genocide against the Q'eqchi 'people” in Guatemala through decades-long pro-mining policies in the country. (El Faro - ES)
📌Xiomara and the U.S.: Historian Dana Frank argues that after “unseating a right-wing machinery that has been backed by Washington since the 2009 coup”, the “the U.S. now has a chance to do the right thing in Honduras.” (The Washington Post - EN)
📌Castro and the Honduran elite: Honduran political and economic elites amid uncertainty and hope after the victory of Xiomara Castro. (Contracorriente - ES)
📌Nicaragua’s Gold: Ortega is extending his alliances with mining companies, while starting his fourth consecutive term, leading to displacement. (NACLA - EN)
📌Militarism: Costa Rica celebrated its 73rd year without an army. Meanwhile, militarism is increasing in Nicaragua. (Nicaragua Investiga - ES)
📌“Hope amid the darkness”: Scholar and activist Paulo Estrada overviews and comments on the current trials for wartime atrocities in Guatemala along with Jo-Marie Burt. (WOLA - EN)
Children’s Books
Honduran scholar Dr. Oriel Maria Siu is recognized for her children’s books to empower children of the Americas through representations of their stories in courageous stories. (in UCLA Newsroom).
Let's Talk About Honduras
Check out Jalileh Garcia's (our Honduras news curator) new page on Instagram, which aims to easily inform on Honduras.
"Juanchi va pa' Nueva York"
Many Hondurans are extremely disappointed with Juan Orlando Hernandez' 8-year governance of Honduras and his alleged links to drug-trafficking. This merengue song, which claims that he will face charges in New York courts once he leaves office, is now being heard in Honduras.
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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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