Five activists were sentenced to two-month prison terms for trespassing on the US Army’s Fort Benning base on Nov. 23 as part of an annual protest against the School of the Americas.
A group of UN human rights experts, including the special rapporteurs on freedom of assembly, freedom of expression and extrajudicial exections, issued a statement urging the government of Nicaragua to "stop the repression" following 100 days of unrest in which at least 317 have been killed and 1,830 injured. "Reports indicate that there has been an increase in targeted repression, criminalization and alleged arbitrary detention, which is creating an atmosphere of fear," the statement said. "We are appalled that many human rights defenders, journalists and other opposition voices are being criminalized and accused of unfounded and overly punitive charges such as 'terrorism'." (Poto via Noticiias ONU)
Both sides claimed victory in El Salvador’s elections—the leftist FMLN winning control of the legislative assembly and the right-wing ARENA taking the government of the capital. Two FMLN activists were assassinated in lead-up to the race.
Honduran teachers occupied the Education Secretariat to protest the government’s delays in paying salaries and its failure to pay full year-end bonuses.
On Dec. 14 the Salvadoran government’s National Security Council (CNS) held a press conference to present evidence that at least 40 armed groups were active in the country, with a total of 400 members. The evidence included photographs of residents… Read moreEl Salvador: FMLN guerillas rearm —or not?
UN rights officials praised the Nicaraguan government’s decision to give the indigenous Awas Tingni community official title to its traditional lands, marking the culmination of a decades-long struggle by the group to gain recognition and protection of its ancestral territory…. Read moreNicaragua: indigenous rainforest community wins title to ancestral lands
A Canadian mining company intends to sue El Salvador’s government for several hundred million dollars if it is not granted permission to open a widely unpopular gold and silver mine that scientists warn would pollute local water supplies. Pacific Rim… Read moreCanadian mining company threatens El Salvador with CAFTA suit
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev hosted Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega at the Kremlin Dec. 18, as a group of Communists in St. Petersburg called for naming one of the city’s new subway stations “Nicaragua” or “Sandinista” as “a sign of Russia’s… Read moreNicaragua: ’80s nostalgia in wake of contested elections
Members of the Stop CAFTA Coalition, along with allies in Central America and the Dominican Republic, have compiled a report that describes the trends and impacts of the first three years of the U.S.-Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA)…. Read moreObama urged to suspend CAFTA
The Russian destroyer Admiral Chabanenko passed through the Panama Canal Dec. 5 following joint naval maneuvers with Venezuela. It marked the first Soviet or Russian military ship to traverse the 80-kilometer waterway since World War II. Panamanian Foreign Minister Samuel… Read moreRussian warship enters Panama Canal, first since World War II
A confrontation between the rival Mara Salvatrucha and La 18 gangs at Guatemala’s central prison, on the outskirts of the capital, ended in seven deaths Nov. 22—with five of the dead beheaded and burned. When authorities retook the prison five… Read moreSix beheaded in Guatemala prison riot
Nicaragua remains violently divided more than a week after contested national municipal elections. On Nov. 18, the opposition Liberal Constitutionalist Party (PLC) candidate for mayor of Managua, Eduardo Montealegre, called off a planned march, charging intimidation by followers of the… Read morePost-electoral violence continues in Nicaragua
