Central America
UN and IACHR concerned about “extremely urgent” situation of indigenous people in Nicaragua
April 27 |
International organizations condemned on Wednesday the murder of Nicaraguan community leader Bernabé Palacios at the hands of an armed group in the Autonomous Region of the Northern Caribbean Coast of the country, and called for an investigation to prosecute and punish those responsible in view of the “extreme urgency” of the situation of indigenous people in the country.
Palacios, 44 years old, belonging to the community of Alal, Mayangna Sauni As territory, was murdered on Monday, according to local media.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) expressed in a statement its solidarity with the family of the indigenous leader; and said that the murder took place in the context of the defense of the land.
A report issued by the Center for Justice and Human Rights of the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua (CEJUDHCAN) states that armed conflicts in indigenous communities have left at least 49 people killed between 2011 and 2020.
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), based in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday requested the Inter-American Court of Human Rights to extend the provisional measures to the inhabitants of the Musawas and Wilú indigenous communities of the Mayangna Sauni As Territory, in the Northern Caribbean Coast Region of Nicaragua.
The Commission considered that the inhabitants of the identified communities are in a situation of “extreme urgency” due to the irreparable damage to their rights.
“Provisional measures are issued by the Inter-American Court in cases of extreme gravity and urgency to avoid irreparable harm to persons. They are binding on States,” the IACHR recalled.
Nicaragua maintains in international forums that it is making progress in the defense of indigenous peoples and in the restitution of their rights. On April 21, Nicaragua’s ambassador to the UN, Jaime Hermida, said that in the country “pride in ethnic roots is promoted in all areas”.
However, experts question this official discourse. Recently, lawyer Becky McCrea, who has worked for years as a defender of Nicaragua’s indigenous territories, told Voice of America that the Nicaraguan state has left these communities defenseless and in some cases has allowed forced displacement.
Central America
Arévalo accuses Porras and judge of undermining democracy in Guatemala
Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo denounced a new attempt at a “coup” orchestrated by the Attorney General’s Office. He also requested an extraordinary session at the Organization of American States (OAS) to address the country’s ongoing political crisis.
The president has been at odds with Attorney General Consuelo Porras, who has been sanctioned by the United States and the European Union for being “corrupt” and “anti-democratic.” Since 2023, Arévalo has accused Porras of launching investigations against his party, Semilla, and the 2023 elections as part of a scheme to prevent his inauguration in January 2024.
From the presidential office, Arévalo has said he continues to “resist” the “coup plotters,” but tensions escalated last Friday when Judge Fredy Orellana, at the request of the Attorney General’s Office, ordered the electoral court to annul the Semilla party’s promoter group. Arévalo interpreted this as an attempt to revoke the positions won by the party.
“Orellana, a hitman who distorts the law in service of Consuelo Porras, is attempting to force […] the unconstitutional removal of a mayor, 23 elected deputies […], the vice president, and the president of the country,” Arévalo said in a televised address on Sunday.
“We call on the international community not to turn a blind eye to the coup being attempted in Guatemala,” he added, speaking alongside his cabinet and congressional members at the National Palace in Guatemala City.
Arévalo requested that the Organization of American States hold an extraordinary session to present “the serious threats” to the Guatemalan Constitution and democracy perpetrated by Porras and Orellana.
Yesterday, Guatemalan Foreign Minister Carlos Ramiro Martínez reaffirmed the president’s statements, emphasizing the need “to go and expose the situation” Guatemala has been facing since last week due to the actions of the Attorney General’s Office.
Central America
New dismembered bodies found in San Juan river days after mass killing in Palencia
On the morning of Monday, October 27, Guatemala’s Volunteer Firefighters confirmed the discovery of two bodies and two human heads inside plastic bags in the San Juan River, located in the Zacualpía village at kilometer 21 of the Atlantic Highway, in the jurisdiction of Palencia.
The remains were found by personnel from Companies 85, 50, and Central, who responded after receiving a report about suspicious bags floating in the water. The gruesome discovery was made just a few meters from the site where eight tortured bodies were found under the San Juan Bridge on Friday, October 24.
Local authorities do not rule out a connection between both incidents and suspect they may be tied to the same criminal organization. Investigators from the Public Ministry and the National Civil Police arrived at the scene to gather evidence and transfer the remains to the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (Inacif).
According to data from the National Economic Research Center (CIEN), Guatemala recorded 2,154 homicides between January and August 2025, an increase compared to the 1,816 reported during the same period in 2024.
Central America
Four guatemalan soldiers arrested for stealing weapons from Northern Air Command
Four soldiers were arrested in connection with the theft of weapons from the Northern Air Command of the Ministry of Defense in Petén, Guatemala, following operations conducted by the Public Ministry (Prosecutor’s Office).
“During the operations, criminal scenes were processed, analyzed, and documented photographically, possible escape routes were identified, surveillance cameras were located, and potential witnesses were interviewed,” the Prosecutor’s Office explained in a social media post.
The detained soldiers were identified as Ludwin Jónathan Cardona Baltazar, charged with illicit association, dereliction of duty, and aggravated theft; and Josué Israel Pérez Jerónimo, Alain Omar Marroquín Soch, and Carlos Ernesto Ibarra Corrales, charged with dereliction of duty, according to Guatemala’s Prensa Libre.
The military personnel reportedly stole 55 rifles, 14,420 rounds of 5.56 mm ammunition, 92 magazines of 35 rounds each, 19 magazines of 20 rounds each, and three grenade launchers, “which were allegedly moved from the arms warehouse to the outside for illicit sale.”
The Ministry of Defense stated that it will keep its internal control mechanisms active to prevent similar incidents.
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