(Even more here)

June 14, 2017

Colombia

• Helen Murphy, “Colombia’s Farc Rebel Weapons Handover Totals Nearly 60 Percent” (Reuters **, June 14, 2017).

The remaining 40 percent are due to be relinquished by June 20, the expiry date of the extension with the government

• “Las Farc Quedaron a una Etapa de su Desarme Definitivo” (El Tiempo (Colombia), June 14, 2017).

En directo, desde los contenedores de la ONU en La Elvira, se transmitieron el recibimiento y la inspección de las armas entregadas por las Farc

• “Iachr Expresses Concern Over the Use of Force in Protests in Colombia” (Inter-American Human Rights Commission, Organization of American States, June 14, 2017).

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) expresses its concern over the repression of protests and demonstrations in Buenaventura, Colombia, by the Mobile Anti-Riot Squadron

• “Dinamicas del Asesinato de Lideres Rurales: Las Covariables Municipales” (Observatorio de Restitución y Regulación de Derechos de Propiedad Agraria (Colombia), June 14, 2017).

El fenómeno SÍ es sistemático. Apabullantemente sistemático. Mirando desde tres perspectivas –semántica, jurídica y estadística– llegamos a la conclusión de que simplemente no es verosímil escamotearle su sistematicidad

• Sergio Gomez Maseri, , “Ee. Uu. Dice a Colombia Que Es Necesario Volver a Fumigacion Aerea” (El Tiempo (Colombia), June 14, 2017).

La administración del presidente republicano Donald Trump reveló este martes que le ha pedido a Colombia reanudar la fumigación aérea para controlar el crecimiento de los cultivos ilícitos

• Jim Wyss, “Colombian Telenovela Has Passion, Drama — and a Million Bucks From U.S. Government” (The Miami Herald, June 14, 2017).

That story of forgiveness and compromise, at a time when Colombia is struggling to implement a historic peace deal with the leftist FARC guerrillas, is what attracted USAID to the project

Cuba

• Michael Weissenstein, Matthew Lee , “Cuba Hardliners, Us Defenders Battle Over New Trump Policy” (Associated Press **, June 14, 2017).

Also planned: a reduction in the number of categories for which Americans do not need U.S. government licenses to go to Cuba

Guatemala

• Jo-Marie Burt, Paulo Estrada, “Tied Up in Appeals, Creompaz Enforced Disappearance Case Remains Stalled” (Open Society Foundations, June 14, 2017).

Victims’ organizations have told International Justice (IJ) Monitor that they are concerned that the delays in resolving these appeals may be intentional

Venezuela

• Nick Miroff, “Is Venezuela on a Path to Civil War?” (The Washington Post, June 14, 2017).

Few experts seem to think that some sort of military-level confrontation is likely. But an institutional collapse that plunges the country into homicidal chaos and anarchy is not hard to imagine