Central America
Biden to receive President Chaves of Costa Rica next week
August 25|
The presidents of the United States, Joe Biden, and Costa Rica, Rodrigo Chaves Robles, will meet in Washington on August 29 to discuss bilateral issues such as the economy, regional migration and cybersecurity, among others, the White House announced in a statement.
“The two leaders will discuss how our two countries can build inclusive and sustainable economies, including through the Partnership of the Americas for Economic Prosperity, promote democratic values in the region, promote orderly and safe migration in accordance with the principles of the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection, as well as address regional security challenges,” the statement said.
For its part, the Costa Rican government, in announcing Chaves’ visit to the United States, thanked “the most recent collaboration of General Laura Richardson, Commander of the United States Southern Command”.
Richardson visited San José this Monday and met with the Costa Rican president to establish a three-year security collaboration agreement that provides the Central American nation with an amount of 9.8 million dollars, which “will strengthen Costa Rica’s cyber defense capacity”, said the Southern Command in a statement.
Biden and Chaves will also discuss what the United States sees as China’s growing influence in the region, Administration officials in Washington told Reuters. The United States and China have been on a path of tense relations for several years on issues such as security, trade tariffs, Taiwan, the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, technology, human rights and espionage.
Costa Rica has for years been one of the transit countries for thousands of migrants moving northward in the region seeking to enter the United States.
Months ago, in coordination with the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), one of the Secure Mobility Offices was established in Costa Rica, which seeks to accelerate the processing of refugees to the United States.
In this Central American country, where the process of registration of refugee applications began through invitations, UNHCR marked the arrival of 4,500 people, of which more than 1,300 migrants were referred to the US refugee program, reported last week Marta Youth, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration of the Department of State.
Focusing on the migration issue, the State Department announced on Wednesday the award of $16 million in humanitarian assistance for the initiative called the Western Hemisphere Regional Migration Program (WHP).
Focusing on the migration issue, the State Department announced on Wednesday the award of $16 million in humanitarian assistance for the initiative called the Western Hemisphere Regional Migration Program (WHP).
The program is coordinated with the United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The WHP was established in 2011 and “provides critical support to partner countries in the region to address unprecedented levels of forced displacement and irregular migration,” the U.S. Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
In addition, this initiative is focused on addressing the actions of human smugglers.
Central America
Costa Rica faces historic vote on lifting presidential immunity for Rodrigo Chaves
Costa Rica, a country internationally recognized for its democratic and political stability, is heading toward an unprecedented decision: whether to lift President Rodrigo Chaves’s immunity so he can face a criminal trial over alleged irregular management of funds from the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI).
On Wednesday, the Legislative Assembly formed a commission of three lawmakers to analyze the accusation against the president, which was forwarded earlier this month by the Supreme Court of Justice. The commission has 20 days, extendable for another 20, to issue a report so that the full Assembly can vote on whether to lift the president’s immunity.
Lifting the immunity would require 38 votes — two-thirds of the legislature — which is largely composed of opposition parties.
If immunity is removed, prosecutors would be able to continue their investigation and potentially question the president. If the motion fails, the case would return to the judiciary and remain pending until Chaves’s term ends in May 2026.
Since the country’s last civil war in 1948 and the abolition of the army later that year, Costa Rica has held uninterrupted elections, every president has completed their term without major issues, and none has ever had their immunity lifted — although several have faced judicial proceedings.
Central America
Honduras sees ongoing killings of land defenders and attacks on press, warns NGO
The Association for Participatory Citizenship (ACI PARTICIPA) denounced on Thursday that killings of land defenders and attacks aimed at silencing the press continue in Honduras.
“We continue to see murders of defenders of land and territory, as well as aggressions to silence the press. In 2024, there were 490 attacks and aggressions that constitute human rights violations,” said ACI PARTICIPA’s executive director, Hedme Castro, during the presentation of the 2024 Report on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders in Honduras.
Castro noted that the aggressions range “from attempts on lives, threats, harassment, intimidation, and smear campaigns, which have become very frequent, to obstruction of work, surveillance, and criminalization.”
She highlighted that, although only seven defenders were killed in 2024 compared to 24 in 2023, “last year we saw a significantly high number of women murdered, and cases of missing children.”
Moreover, Castro criticized the authorities for failing to address the violence. “There is no response from the authorities to reduce the violence in the country; in fact, I believe that the ‘fathers of the nation’ (members of Parliament) are not setting the right example, and the situation in the Legislative branch is actually fueling violence,” she added, referring to frequent violent incidents in Congress.
The ACI PARTICIPA report also notes that the government led by President Xiomara Castro has made “an important effort over the past two years to improve citizens’ access to basic rights, helping to cushion the effects of economic deterioration, although a decent standard of living has yet to be achieved for the majority of Hondurans.”
Central America
Daniel Ortega’s last historic sandinista ally detained in Managua
Former Sandinista revolutionary commander and presidential economic adviser Bayardo Arce Castaño was arrested on Thursday in Managua for alleged irregular transactions involving state-owned assets, according to local media reports.
The arrest was carried out by agents from the Special Operations Directorate of the Police, who raided his residence in the southern part of the Nicaraguan capital. The Attorney General’s Office (PGR) is investigating Arce for “transactions and/or negotiations” that, according to authorities, do not comply with current legal standards.
Arce, 76, was one of the nine historic commanders of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) who led the overthrow of dictator Anastasio Somoza in 1979. Since 2007, he had served as the economic adviser to dictator Daniel Ortega, and was the last of the historic commanders still aligned with the regime.
The Attorney General’s Office accused Arce of contempt after he refused to appear for questioning about properties registered in his name. Authorities allege that Ricardo Bonilla, Arce’s assistant, was also involved in questionable financial dealings and was jailed after failing to comply with a summons.
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