Guatemalans around the country protested against the government yesterday -- angered by the Morales administration's efforts to terminate a U.N. backed international anti-corruption commission and lack of improvement on education, health, and security, reports El Periódico. Much of Guatemala City's center was closed off to prevent demonstrations near Congress, where Morales' gave his third state of the union address yesterday, reports Soy 502. (See below)
The rallies followed protests last week over President Jimmy Morales' summary termination of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) mandate, reports Al Jazeera. Hundreds protested in Guatemala City on Saturday, reports Reuters. (See last Tuesday's post.)
The Supreme Court is analyzing impeachment cases against Constitutional Court magistrates in relation to their defense of the CICIG in judgements -- but the CC has historically rejected such cases, arguing that judges cannot be prosecuted for opinions expressed in their decisions, reports El Periódico. (See last Wednesday's post.)
The Los Angeles Times contrasts the U.S.'s ambivalent attitude regarding Morales' onslaught against the CICIG with its defense of the U.N. commission in 2015. The change is linked to multiple factors, including Guatemalan lobbying among conservative U.S. lawmakers.
Morales gave his third yearly report before lawmakers yesterday. He emphasized the defense of sovereignty, part of his campaign against the CICIG, though he didn't explicitly mention the anti-impunity commission. He did maintain that the government has made advances in terms of transparency and anti-corruption measures. (El Periódico, La Hora, Nómada, CNÑ) He was echoed by Congress president Álvaro Arzú Escobar, who called the CICIG "another failed U.N. experiment." (República and Prensa Libre)
A long list of officials skipped the speech: the members of the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, attorney general Consuelo Porras, Human Rights Prosecutor Jordan Rodas, and U.S. ambassador Luis Arrega. (Nómada) Many members of the opposition were also absent or left the Congress in protest of Morales. (Soy 502)
It's Morales' last year in office, and analysts in La Hora have few expectations for policy innovation. Soy 502 has a fact check on Morales' speech, refuting many of what he called signature policies.
News Briefs
Venezuela
- Juan Guaidó, the young head of Venezuela's National Assembly, has been catapulted to fame as the new face of opposition to President Nicolás Maduro, reports the Washington Post. His combative stance has also provoked fears of a new crackdown though, reports the Guardian. (See yesterday's post.)
Haiti
- At least 21 people were killed in a November massacre in Port-au-Prince, an attack led by a group of men in police uniform, reports the Associated Press. U.N. officials said they expect to complete an investigation into the killings within weeks.
Brazil
- Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro signed a decree loosening gun regulations today. It's the first major policy move in his two weeks of governance, aimed at making it easier for civilians to defend themselves from rampant violence. It is the first in a series of measures reforming Brazil's 15-year-old gun laws. (Wall Street Journal)
- Now in it's third week, the wave of fire and bombing attacks in Ceará state shows no sign of letting up -- there were at least eight attacks on Sunday, including two bridges blown up and a school bus set on fire. (See last Wednesday's post.) It's a sign of how Brazil urgently needs penal reform and alternatives to tough-on-crime measures, according to the Guardian.
- Rio de Janeiro's governor -- a Boslonaro ally -- shut-down an exhibit to prevent a performance attacking dictatorship-era torture, reports the Guardian. Artists retaliated with a pop-up street show protesting censorship.
- Gisele Bündchen is a bad Brazilian, according to the new agriculture minister, who said her environmental activism has tainted the country’s image abroad. (Guardian)
Mexico
- A presidential truth commission for the Ayotzinapa case starts work today in Mexico, reports Animal Político. (See post for Dec. 4, 2018.)
- Mexican senators heard presentations from the 27 finalists for the new attorney general position -- but organizations of civil society rejected the procedure in which candidates were not questioned, reports Animal Político.
- Mexico's fuel shortage crisis is an example of how populist governments blunder, according to Francisco Toro and James Bosworth in a Washington Post opinion piece.
- Authorities keep discovering tunnels under the Mexico-U.S. border, presumably used to smuggle drugs, they underscore the futility of the U.S. administration's insistence on a wall to separate the two countries, according to the Washington Post.
Regional Relations
- The U.S. Trump administration's reported plan to cut the Dominican Republic, El Salvador and Nicaragua out of a Central America free trade agreement appears to be related to concerns over Chinese backdoor access to the U.S. market. (See last Thursday's briefs.) But the move will only increase the pressure of the migrant crisis, argues Kimberly Ann Elliott in World Politics Review.
Organized Crime
- "Current trends all point to a strengthening of organized crime throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, as the criminals adapt far more quickly than authorities to changing conditions and take advantage of new opportunities," according to a new report by InSight Crime.
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