Haiti: workers strike at privatized phone company

Workers at a Haitian telephone company privatized last year went on strike to demand a full 36 months’ salary in compensation for their impending layoffs.

Cuba: US loses Posada Carriles case —again

A federal jury in El Paso, Texas, acquitted Cuban-born former CIA “asset” Luis Posada Carriles of 11 counts of fraud and obstruction of justice, handing US prosecutors their latest defeat in the case.

Haiti: “Sweet Micky” Martelly will be “new driver in same vehicle”

Popular singer Michel (“Sweet Micky”) Martelly defeated fellow right-winger Mirlande Hyppolite Manigat in the race for Haiti’s presidency—but real power still lies with the multinational Interim Haiti Recovery Commission.

Haiti: new sweatshop zone will displace farmers

Sae-A Trading Co. Ltd, South Korea’s leading apparel manufacturer, is pushing ahead with plans to open a large garment assembly plant near the coastal village of Caracol in Haiti’s agricultural Northeast department.

Haiti: earthquake victims remain homeless

The number of displaced Haitians living in camps in the Port-au-Prince area after the January 2010 earthquake has now fallen to about 680,000. But those who left the camps haven’t necessarily found better shelter.

Puerto Rico: ACLU calls on US to probe abuses

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) wrote the US Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division asking the agency to conclude an ongoing investigation of alleged abuses by the Puerto Rican police.

Haiti: Aristide returns, two killed in “calm” vote

Observers said Haiti’s March 20 presidential and legislative runoff elections were relatively calm—at least in comparison to the chaotic first round on Nov. 28.

Puerto Rico: students’ aggression clouds Women’s Day events

A coalition of Puerto Rican feminist organizations held a march to the Río Piedras campus of the University of Puerto Rico (UPR), the site of months of student protests against an $800 tuition surcharge.

Caribbean: Cuban women dance, Dominicans march backwards

The National Ballet of Cuba, under the direction of the renowned Alicia Alonso, marked International Women’s Day with a special performance honoring women heroes of the 1959 Revolution.

Haiti: groups campaign against neoliberal accords

Some 17 Haitian groups have launched a new campaign against the neoliberal economic policies that Haiti has followed under successive governments over the last three decades.

Puerto Rico: ACLU may investigate rights situation

The American Civil Liberties Union has declared the civil and human rights situation in Puerto Rico a “high priority for the organization,” citing “repression against the student movement.”

Puerto Rico: bar association head jailed in “rights crisis”

Chief US federal district judge José Fusté sent Puerto Rican Bar Association (CAPR) president Osvaldo Toledo Martínez to prison for refusing to pay a $10,000 fine for contempt of court.