Ngöbe-BuglĂ© leaders reached an agreement with the Panamanian government that would ban mining in the group’s territory and limit hydroelectric projects–but there is strong opposition.
Hundreds marched to demand justice for the women who were victims of the 1957-1986 Duvalier family dictatorship and to call for the departure of the UN troops stationed in Haiti.
Mexican governance secretary Alejandro Poiré formally apologized to indigenous campesina Inés Fernández for her rape by three Mexican soldiers in 2002. Fernández then denounced the government.
Women in the Honduran branch of the international campesino movement VĂa Campesina launched a new campaign on March 8 under the slogan “for women’s dignity, we demand our right to the land.”
Marches and protests celebrating International Women’s Day focused on violence against women and emphasized demands for abortion rights and equality in political representation.
Journalist Luis AgustĂn González faces a possible 18-month jail term for writing an editorial accusing a former governor and senator of “arrogance” and “despotism.”
Hundreds of relatives and friends of people killed or injured in the crash of an Argentine commuter train marched to demand a thorough investigation of the accident and punishment for those responsible.
Protesters in the southern Chilean region resumed blocking traffic when the government of right-wing president Sebastián Piñera set new conditions for negotiations.
The Ngöbe-Buglé indigenous group suspended talks with Panamanian officials and resumed a blockade of the Pan American highway after four young protesters were wounded by rubber bullets.
Haiti’s Prime Mnister Garry Conille submitted a letter of resignation as rumors grew of tension between him and President Michel Martelly; the US embassy appeared unhappy with the development.
About 1,000 indigenous people and campesinos in Mexico's Chiapas state marched to protest high rates for electricity, to oppose the construction of more dams in the region, and to demand that electric utilities not be privatized.
The Honduran government signed an accord with two campesino organizations to finance the purchase of land for campesino cooperatives in an area where land disputes have left more than 50 dead in two years.
