Central America

Panama voices support for India’s permanent seat at UN Security Council

Panama supports India’s aspiration to become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), said Panamanian Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha during a meeting with Shashi Tharoor, Chair of the Indian Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs, according to an official statement released Thursday.

“You [India] have carved out a place in global governance, and we believe that this governance should include more democratic actors like India in major global decisions. I have always said India must be a permanent member of the Security Council,” said Martínez-Acha during the official visit of an Indian parliamentary delegation to Panama on Wednesday evening.

Tharoor, a senior opposition leader and former candidate for UN Secretary-General, thanked Panama for its support amid what he described as “difficult times” for the Indian people. He emphasized zero tolerance for terrorism, a message he said was central to the delegation’s regional tour, which includes stops in Colombia, the United States, Guyana, and Brazil, according to a statement from Panama’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Indian delegation aims to explain to these countries the recent crisis between India and Pakistan, which began on April 22 when 26 civilians were killed in a terrorist attack in Indian-administered Kashmir. India blamed Pakistan for the assault, triggering the most serious spike in tensions between the two nations since the 1999 Kargil War.

From May 7 to May 10, the crisis peaked when India and Pakistan exchanged missile and drone strikes along several parts of their shared border, particularly in Kashmir, a region claimed by both countries since their partition after independence from the British Empire in 1947.

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“Mr. Tharoor, your presence here demonstrates a shared commitment to the fight against terrorism and a willingness to stand together in difficult circumstances. We condemn what happened in Kashmir and every act of terrorism anywhere in the world. Such acts must be denounced every time they occur,” Martínez-Acha stated.

Central America

Nicaragua’s government expels bishops, priests, and nuns in religious persecution

At least 261 religious figures, including the president of the Nicaraguan Episcopal Conference, Carlos Enrique Herrera, have been expelled as part of the persecution by Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo’s regime against the Catholic Church, reported the NGO Colectivo Nicaragua Nunca Más in its report Faith Under Fire.

The report details that among those expelled are bishops Silvio Báez, Rolando Álvarez, Isidoro Mora, as well as the Apostolic Nuncio in Managua, Waldemar Stanislaw Sommertag, along with approximately 140 priests, over 90 nuns, ten seminarians, and three deacons from different dioceses in the country.

“Since the expulsion of Nuncio Sommertag in March 2022, relations between Nicaragua and the Vatican have significantly deteriorated,” the NGO noted.

The report also documents the closure of 5,609 non-profit organizations, of which 1,294 were religious, including churches, universities, schools, clinics, and humanitarian organizations. Most of these had their assets confiscated by the Sandinista government. Additionally, the telecommunications regulator TELCOR shut down 54 media outlets, including 22 religious radio stations and TV channels.

Repression has extended to other religious denominations, with forced disappearances and criminalization of evangelical pastors, control over temples, media censorship, fiscal pressure, property confiscation, and the cancellation of legal status for the Moravian Church. Pastor Rudy Palacios remains in detention as part of this pattern of persecution.

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The NGO emphasized that churches, especially the Catholic Church, played a key role in the 2018 national dialogue, denouncing abuses and providing refuge to injured protesters, which fueled the government’s hostility.

In 2023, Pope Francis described Ortega’s regime as a “blatant dictatorship”, to which the Nicaraguan president responded by dissolving the Society of Jesus and labeling the Church as a “mafia” and “anti-democratic.”

Central America

Guatemala arrests 32 Mara Salvatrucha members in massive security operation

At least 32 members of the Mara Salvatrucha gang were arrested in a large-scale security operation in Guatemala, involving approximately 1,500 law enforcement officers. The detainees face charges of organized crime, murder, and extortion.

Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo emphasized that the government continues its “relentless fight for citizen security” and aims to regain control of territories previously dominated by gangs and drug traffickers.

“This is one of the most significant blows to organized crime in recent decades. Regaining control of our streets is a top priority for this government, and we are doing it without concessions, without yielding to pressure, and without allowing criminal groups to act with impunity,” Arévalo stated on the presidential program La Ronda.

The president added that the strategy includes raiding drug cultivation areas, arresting gang leaders, and entering neighborhoods that were once considered untouchable. The goal is to return control of communities to citizens and reduce the influence of gangs and drug trafficking. The plan also involves extradition of drug traffickers, prison system reforms, and enforcement of the Anti-Money Laundering Law, all while respecting the legal framework and democratic processes.

Central America

Guatemalan authorities arrest 24 suspected MS-13 members in major anti-extortion raid

Guatemalan prosecutors, police, and military forces captured 24 alleged members of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) on Sunday during a large-scale anti-extortion operation, authorities confirmed.

According to the National Police and the Public Prosecutor’s Office, MS-13 and other gangs in Guatemala primarily target business owners and public transportation operators, demanding extortion payments. Those who refuse to comply are often threatened or killed.

More than 1,500 police officers and military personnel participated in the operation, which took place in the El Gallito neighborhood, a densely populated area in downtown Guatemala City. The police stated that the coordinated action aimed to “directly impact the criminal operations of the Mara Salvatrucha.”

The operation also involved the deployment of heavily armed military units supported by armored vehicles.

Authorities explained that this anti-extortion crackdown follows a complaint filed in February and is part of ongoing efforts to dismantle MS-13’s influence in the country. The United States has officially designated Mara Salvatrucha as a terrorist organization.