(Even more here)

January 17, 2020

Western Hemisphere Regional

• Kate Brumback, Deepti Hajela, Amy Taxin, “Ap Visits Immigration Courts Across Us, Finds Nonstop Chaos” (Associated Press, Associated Press, January 17, 2020).

Shrouded in secrecy, the immigration courts run by the U.S. Department of Justice have been dysfunctional for years and have only gotten worse

Argentina

• Martin Balza, “Fuerzas Armadas, Control Civil y Liderazgo” (Clarin (Argentina), January 17, 2020).

Definitivamente atrás ha quedado un lamentable período de cuatro golpes de Estado cívico-militares en la segunda mitad del siglo pasado

Brazil

• Alex Cuadros, ““My Gang Is Jesus”” (Harpers Magazine, January 17, 2020).

Brazil’s evangelicals face the temptations of the drug trade

Brazil, Mexico

• Ted Hesson, Frank Jack Daniel, “U.S. Weighs Sending Brazilian Migrants to Mexico Amid Spike in Arrests” (Reuters, Reuters, January 17, 2020).

The program previously had covered Spanish-speaking migrants. But the addition of people from Brazil, where Portuguese is the official language, would expand its reach further

Colombia

• “La Jep Presento el Balance de su Segundo Ano de Gestion” (Jurisdicción Especial para la Paz (Colombia), January 17, 2020).

Al concluir el año 2019 un total de 12.235 personas se habían sometido a la JEP (9.720 ex Farc, 2.431 de la Fuerza pública, 72 agentes del Estado diferentes a Fuerza pública y 12 por protesta social)

• “Amid Resumed Violence, Colombia Government, Opposition Must Preserve Hard-Won Gains in Peace Process, Special Representative Tells Security Council” (Security Council, United Nations, January 17, 2020).

“Peace will not be fully achieved if the brave voices of social leaders continue to be silenced through violence and if former combatants who laid down their weapons and are committed to their reintegration continue to be killed”

• “Iachr and Its Office of the Special Rapporteur Express Deep Concern Over Complaints of Espionage of Journalists, Human Rights Defenders, Judges, and Political Leaders in Colombia” (Inter-American Human Rights Commission, Organization of American States, January 17, 2020).

According to a journalistic investigation, these activities would have been carried out through special equipment that allows to capture cell phone calls and the installation of malware called “Invisible Man” on hacked devices

• Laura Palomino, Cristian Medina, “Juan Manuel Santos y Gustavo Petro Fueron Victimas de la Red de “Chuzadas”” (La W Radio (Colombia), January 17, 2020).

Tras este escándalo, en su momento fueron capturados el general (r) Humberto Guatibonza, Carlos Arenas, exjefe de prensa de la Policía Metropolitana de Bogotá, además de ex integrantes del Ejército Nacional y ex miembros de la Fiscalía

• “Alcaldesa Claudia Lopez Estreno su Protocolo para las Marchas” (El Tiempo (Colombia), January 17, 2020).

Después de más de dos horas de protestas, y pese a la llegada de gestores de convivencia, y a una conversación con el secretario de Gobierno, Luis Ernesto Gómez, y de Seguridad, Hugo Acero, los manifestantes decidieron seguir adelante con los bloqueos

• “Francisco Santos Saldria de la Embajada en Estados Unidos” (Semana (Colombia), January 17, 2020).

Se ha filtrado que en la reunión que sostuvo con el presidente Iván Duque tras ese episodio, Santos sorprendió al mandatario no presentando su renuncia

Colombia, Cuba

• “Gobierno Solicita a Cuba la Extradicion de Alias Gabino” (Semana (Colombia), January 17, 2020).

“La Cancillería colombiana acaba de radicar formalmente en La Habana la solicitud de extradición (…), en este caso (Gabino) es solicitado por secuestro agravado”, dijo el Comisionado

Cuba

• Nora Gamez Torres, “After Drastic Policy Changes, More Than 20,000 Cuban Asylum Seekers Are Fighting Deportation” (The Miami Herald, January 17, 2020).

The Trump administration opened deportation proceedings against 25,044 Cubans in fiscal year 2019, mostly asylum seekers at the U.S. border

Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico

• Juan Montes, Jose De Cordoba, “Large Groups of Hondurans Set Off for U.S., as Mexico Pledges to Block Them” (The Wall Street Journal, January 17, 2020).

The officials say they won’t give the migrants transit visas to reach the U.S., but will consider asylum requests to stay and work in Mexico

Guatemala

• Ferdy Montepeque, “Un Integrante de “la Oficinita” Sera el Secretario de Inteligencia de Giammattei” (ElPeriodico (Guatemala), January 17, 2020).

Es mencionado en un informe de la Comisión Internacional Contra la Impunidad en Guatemala (CICIG) como integrante de una supuesta red ilícita de abogados, militares y fiscales conocida como La Oficinita y señalada de espionaje y de desviar investigaciones

• Sandra Cuffe, “Guatemalan Officials Arrested for Corruption After Leaving Office” (Al Jazeera, January 17, 2020).

The officials, including an ex-congresswoman and ex-mayor, lost immunity after a new administration was sworn in

• “Us Agents Aid in Guatemalan Crackdown on Hundreds of Migrants Headed North” (Associated Press, The Guardian (Uk), January 17, 2020).

Guatemalan police accompanied by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have swept up hundreds of migrants, returning them to the Honduran border and in effect dashing their plans to travel together in a “caravan”

Mexico

• “Suman en Guanajuato Mas de 210 Homicidios en Apenas 15 Dias” (El Universal (Mexico), January 17, 2020).

El panista comentó que el lunes el comandante Luis Rodríguez Bucio, titular de la GN, le informó que hay 4 mil 150 elementos de la corporación en la entidad, lo que el mandatario estatal puso en duda

Venezuela

• “Foro Penal: Sigue la Represion en Venezuela, Hay 392 Presos Politicos” (Voz de América, La Prensa (Nicaragua), January 17, 2020).

La ONG venezolana Foro Penal explicó que solo en diciembre de este año hubo 22 nuevos presos presos. Y en enero, hasta el momento, hay tres nuevos presos políticos