Several top ministers in Guatemala’s government have resigned and thousands of citizens have flooded the streets to protest recent elite efforts to institutionalize corruption, plunging the country deeper into turmoil and potentially signaling how a wave of domestic pressure could shape the outcome.
Guatemala’s congress is backtracking on an attempt to weaken anti-corruption efforts following massive public outcry and a rapid response by the country’s highest court, indicating that while international pressure has not seemed to deter corrupt political elites from attempting to shield themselves, widespread domestic outrage might.
Authorities in Central America have arrested hundreds of suspected gang members in recent days during coinciding operations, but their willingness to mount such large-scale efforts against gangs has not been matched by an equivalent committment to tackle recent allegations of serious official corruption.
This news brief was originally published at InSight Crime. US politicians are ramping up pressure on Central American countries toContinue Reading
Guatemala’s highest court has ruled that President Jimmy Morales cannot expel the head of the country’s internationally-backed anti-corruption body, haltingContinue Reading
A trial has begun in El Salvador against several officials for their alleged illegal activity related to a controversial gangContinue Reading
I joined InSight Crime’s senior editor Mike LaSusa on today’s WeeklyInSight Facebook Live session to discuss my latest article aboutContinue Reading
Hip hop culture has long been associated with gangs, violence and vandalism. But a wide range of actors in Latin America are attempting to work past longstanding biases and challenges to experiment with these art forms as alternatives for at-risk youths who might otherwise engage in criminal activity.
Tough abortion laws across the Americas and the Caribbean are threatening women’s lives and family stability. I went on to WorldContinue Reading
In 2011, Maria Teresa Rivera woke up handcuffed to a hospital bed. Earlier that day, suffering stomach cramps, she hadContinue Reading
Angelika Albaladejo