Central America

Nicaraguan opposition presses EU during Costa Rica dialogue on democracy crisis

The European Parliament is set to launch a three-day consultative meeting with Central American lawmakers beginning Monday, July 21, 2025, in Costa Rica. The initiative aims to foster dialogue between members of the European bloc and their regional counterparts.

The Nicaraguan opposition sees the meeting as a strategic opportunity to urge the European Union to reassess its political and trade relations with the government of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, whom they accuse of committing crimes against humanity and dismantling the country’s democracy.

“We are going to speak with the Members of the European Parliament to make clear that Nicaragua is facing a democratic crisis and is ruled by a regime that has violated civil and political rights,” said Juan Sebastián Chamorro in an interview with DW. Chamorro is a representative of the Nicaraguan Democratic Concertation (CDN), a coalition of political and civil society leaders, most of whom are currently in exile.

According to Chamorro, the CDN has already made contact with the 12 European parliamentarians expected to attend the meeting in San José, which will also include legislators from across Central America — including representatives from Nicaragua’s pro-government parliament.

Central America

Guatemalan and mexican presidents to meet in august to deepen cross-border cooperation

Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo de León announced on Monday that he will meet with his Mexican counterpart, Claudia Sheinbaum, in August to strengthen the relationship between both countries, particularly in their shared border region.

During a press conference, Arévalo stated that the exact date and location of the meeting will be confirmed soon.

“Our government has been holding technical meetings with Mexico under a very active cooperation agenda,” Arévalo said.

He added that the main topics of discussion will include energy, environmental protection, and border security, with the participation of various government officials from both nations.

According to Arévalo, the meeting is part of “a continuous and open dialogue with our Mexican neighbors to strengthen bilateral relations.”

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Although both leaders took office in 2024, they have not yet met in person. However, they held a phone call in January 2025, as confirmed by Sheinbaum at the time.

The relationship between Mexico and Guatemala has grown stronger since Arévalo assumed the presidency. In May 2024, he met in Chiapas with then-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to discuss security, infrastructure, and economic development along the border.

In June, Guatemala announced it would strengthen its “land and air operations” along the Mexican border following a “confusing” armed confrontation in Huehuetenango, in the northwest of the country, near the Cuauhtémoc-La Mesilla crossing. The two countries share approximately 965 kilometers of border.

Central America

Venezuela probes alleged torture of repatriated migrants held in salvadoran mega-prison

Venezuela’s Attorney General’s Office announced on Monday (July 21, 2025) that it has opened an investigation into allegations of torture and abuse against Venezuelan migrants who were recently deported from the United States and sent to a high-security prison for gang members in El Salvador.

The 252 individuals were repatriated last Friday as part of a prisoner exchange between Washington and Caracas, which also resulted in the release of 10 U.S. citizens and residents who had been held in Venezuela.

Attorney General Tarek William Saab directly accused Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele and called on international organizations, including the International Criminal Court and the United Nations Human Rights Council, to take action on the matter.

Saab said that 80 prosecutors from the Public Ministry interviewed the repatriated migrants upon their return to Venezuela. According to their testimonies, the group reported cases of daily beatings, sexual abuse, the use of rubber bullets, and being fed rotten food.

“They made serious claims of massive human rights violations they suffered at the Center for Confinement of Terrorism (Cecot),” Saab stated.

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The migrants had previously been accused of belonging to the Tren de Aragua, a notorious criminal organization designated as a terrorist group by former U.S. President Donald Trump.

Central America

Calls for full investigation into murder of denationalized nicaraguan opponent

The family of Roberto Danilo Samcam Ruiz, a Nicaraguan opposition figure, retired Army major, and Spanish national, who was shot dead a month ago in San José, Costa Rica, has called on Costa Rican authorities to carry out a thorough investigation into the killing, which has deeply shaken the Nicaraguan exile community in the country.

“We call on the Government of Costa Rica to conduct a comprehensive investigation into Roberto’s murder, to identify and prosecute both the material and intellectual perpetrators, as well as their accomplices,” said Gabriel Samcam, one of the retired major’s sons, during a press conference.

Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) reported that it is actively investigating the incident, which occurred on June 19 in the Moravia district of San José. According to authorities, an individual entered the condominium where Samcam lived and, without saying a word, allegedly opened fire multiple times, hitting him in the chest and limbs.

Samcam had been living in exile in Costa Rica since July 2018 due to security threats, after becoming a vocal critic of the Nicaraguan government and military. In 2023, he was among 94 opposition figures stripped of their nationality and assets by the Ortega regime, which accused them of “treason.” He later became a naturalized Spanish citizen.