(Even more here)

July 29, 2020

Western Hemisphere Regional

• Anatoly Kurmanaev, “Latin America Is Facing a ‘Decline of Democracy’ Under the Pandemic” (The New York Times, July 29, 2020).

Leaders ranging from the center-right to the far left have used the crisis as justification to extend their time in office, weaken oversight of government actions and silence critics

• Roberta Jacobson, Dan Restrepo, “Needed: Latin Leadership for a New Inter-American System” (Americas Quarterly, July 29, 2020).

An IDB headed by an American – any American – would undermine its fundamental mission in a new inter-American system

• “Department of Homeland Security Will Reject Initial Requests for Daca as It Weighs Future of the Program” (Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General, July 29, 2020).

“There are important policy reasons that may warrant the full rescission of the DACA policy”

• Nicole Narea, “The Trump Administration Is Refusing to Fully Reinstate Daca” (Vox, July 29, 2020).

DREAMers are facing limbo yet again as Trump explores ending DACA for a second time

Brazil

• “Brazil Supreme Court Considers Landmark Case on Police Operations in Rio’s Favelas, Part Ii” (RioOnWatch (Rio de Janeiro Brazil), July 29, 2020).

Many supporters of the ADPF lawsuit, who discussed it at a June 25 online panel, took in the news of Fachin’s order with caution given what they described as the justice system’s historic lack of control of police actions

• Caio Barretto Briso, Tom Phillips, “Caetano Veloso: ‘Bolsonaro Is So Confused, So Incompetent’” (The Guardian, July 29, 2020).

The musician, 77, exiled to London under Brazil’s military dictatorship says he fears the president’s ‘ultra-reactionary bunch’ will not let go of power easily

Chile

• Pamela Squella, “La Consigna Anti-Fuerzas Armadas de Algunos Grupos de Izquierda de Chile se Ha Quedado Sin Argumentos, Asegura el Ministro de Defensa” (Defensa.com (Spain), July 29, 2020).

Espina fue enfático en apoyar la labor de los militares y en indicar que las Fuerzas Armadas y de Orden no están desgastadas

Colombia

• Eduardo Pizarro Leongomez, “¿Es el Momento para Reabrir las Negociaciones de Paz Con el Eln?” (El Tiempo (Colombia), July 29, 2020).

Se da desde hace ya años la primera condición para una negociación de paz exitosa (el impase mutuamente doloroso), pero falta la segunda condición, la disponibilidad para una negociación efectiva, ante todo, por parte del Eln

• Oliver Griffin, “Colombia Was Deadliest Country for Land Rights Activists in 2019” (Reuters, U.S. News and World Report, July 29, 2020).

Colombia was the deadliest country for land rights activists in 2019, as killings of environmental defenders soared in the Andean country, according to a report published by advocacy group Global Witness

• Diego Legrand, “For Colombian Activist Francia Marquez, Clean Water Is Worth the Fight” (Agence France Presse, Yahoo!, July 29, 2020).

Water, for her, is more important than any financial consideration — in fact, it was this mentality that pushed her to study environmental legislation

• “Colombia: Monitoreo de Territorios Afectados por Cultivos Ilicitos 2019” (UN Office on Drugs and Crime, July 29, 2020).

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• “Corte Suprema Empieza Este Jueves a Analizar el Futuro Judicial de Alvaro Uribe” (El Espectador (Colombia), July 29, 2020).

Una orden de captura, restricción de movilidad o seguir libre son las opciones

• “Colombian Vice President Files Criminal Defamation Suit Against Journalist” (Committee to Protect Journalists, July 29, 2020).

The criminal lawsuit, filed by Ramírez on June 2, accuses McDermott of damaging the “moral integrity, good name, dignity and honor” of the vice president in an article that alleged a connection between Ramírez’s husband, Álvaro Rincón, and a suspected drug trafficker

• ““Si Sacrificandome Esto Va Mejorar, Entonces Vale la Pena Morir”: Yaneth Mosquera” (El Espectador (Colombia), July 29, 2020).

La lideresa caucana a quien le hicieron una detonación de explosivo en su vehículo en la madrugada de este martes en el municipio de Patía

• “La Coca Sigue Concentrada en las Zonas Historicamente Afectadas: Unodc” (El Espectador (Colombia), July 29, 2020).

La Oficina de las Naciones Unidas contra la Droga y el Delito entregó un nuevo informe sobre la situación de los cultivos de uso ilícito en el país

Cuba

• “Cuba: Protest Over Police Killing Suppressed” (Human Rights Watch, July 29, 2020).

Cuban authorities committed numerous rights violations in June 2020 against people organizing a protest over police violence, effectively suppressing the demonstration

El Salvador

• Hector Silva Avalos, “El Salvador Arrests General Behind 2012 Gang Truce” (InsightCrime, July 29, 2020).

The truce’s main legacy is that it allowed the gangs to deal directly with those in power. Upon demonstrating their ability to control homicide rates, the MS13 and Barrio 18 began to negotiate with politicians

Guatemala

• Alex Papadovassilakis, “Guatemala Imposes Martial Law Under Pretext of Combating Organized Crime” (InsightCrime, July 29, 2020).

The Guatemalan government enacted a state of siege allegedly to restore order in areas affected by organized crime, but these claims were so vague that they raised questions about what ulterior motives may be at play

Mexico

• Ismael Bojorquez, “Que No se Perfile una Democracia Castrense” (Riodoce (Sinaloa Mexico), July 29, 2020).

El problema aquí es que el presidente sigue otorgándole espacios de poder a las fuerzas armadas que no tuvieron nunca; hay una militarización de áreas de Gobierno que históricamente estuvieron en manos civiles

• Tom Phillips, “Top Mexican Drug Kingpin el Mencho Reportedly Builds Own Private Hospital” (The Guardian, July 29, 2020).

Secretive leader of Jalisco New Generation cartel, who seeks treatment for kidney disease, currently seen as ‘public enemy No 1’

Nicaragua

• “Cuatro de Cada Diez Entierros en Mayo Fueron “Expres”” (Confidencial (Nicaragua), July 29, 2020).

250 de 667 muertos fueron enterrados el mismo día de su deceso, la mayoría por complicaciones respiratorias

Peru

• Oscar Paz Campuzano, “Las Dudas Que Dejo el Mensaje a la Nacion en Torno al Combate de la Creciente Delincuencia” (El Comercio (Peru), July 29, 2020).

El presidente Martín Vizcarra anunció que las Fuerzas Armadas apoyarán a la PNP en la contención de los brotes criminalidad, pero no se ha dado detalles de la medida

U.S.-Mexico Border

• Meghann Myers, “In Confirmation Hearing, Northcom Nominee Talks Border Mission and Military Force Against Civil Unrest” (Navy Times, July 29, 2020).

“I would have to go to the border and assess, if confirmed, to make a rational judgment at this time,” he told Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., in response to a question about moving DoD counter-narcotic funding

• Aila Slisco, “Texas Border City With Mexico Approves ‘Defund the Wall’ Street Mural” (Newsweek, July 29, 2020).

The mural is being planned as part of a “Defund the Wall, Fund Our Future” campaign from the No Border Wall Coalition

Venezuela

• Carlos Seijas Meneses, “Maduro Decidio Mantener Preso al Sindicalista Ruben Gonzalez” (Tal Cual (Venezuela), July 29, 2020).

Rubén González, secretario general del sindicato de Ferrominera Orinoco, lleva 20 meses preso en la cárcel de La Pica

• John Otis, “Venezuela’s Maduro Holds Firmly to Power — and Squeezes the Opposition” (National Public Radio, July 29, 2020).

The Venezuelan military has ignored Guaidó’s calls to mutiny and, despite some defections, continues to provide crucial support to Maduro. Anti-government protests have petered out

• Elvira Blanco, Alejandro Quryat, “Racism and State Violence in Venezuela” (NACLA, July 29, 2020).

Professor Keymer Ávila of the Institute of Criminal Sciences at the Central University of Venezuela discusses lethal state violence. Venezuelan security forces kill thousands of racialized and impoverished young people every year

• Scott Smith, “Maduro’s Hold on Venezuela Tightens as Coronavirus Surges” (Associated Press, Associated Press, July 29, 2020).

Analysts say the pandemic has helped suck away the opposition’s already flagging support