(Even more here)

August 18, 2017

El Salvador

• Hector Silva Avalos, “After el Salvador Gang Truce Trial, 5 Doubts Remain” (InsightCrime, August 18, 2017).

In total, Nalo said, ARENA and FMLN paid the three gangs $350,000

Mexico

• Kate Linthicum, “As Mexico Debates Giving the Military More Power, a Judge Asks Why Soldiers Gunned Down 22 People” (The Los Angeles Times, August 18, 2017).

Beyond accusations of rights abuses, rights advocates and some members of Mexico’s political opposition point out that the military has failed to effectively reduce violence and organized criminal activity

Venezuela

• “Padrino Lopez: Hemos Recibido Orden Preparatoria para Poner Armas al Hombro” (Tal Cual (Venezuela), August 18, 2017).

El Ministro de la Defensa, Vladimir Padrino López, aseguró que los integrantes de la Fuerza Armada Nacional (FAN) recibieron la orden preparatoria de tomar las armas, de cara a una posible intervención armada por parte del Gobierno de Estados Unidos

• Andrew Rosati, Fabiola Zerpa, “Venezuela’s Maduro Regime Steps Up Crackdown on Dissidents” (Bloomberg, August 18, 2017).

The raid came just as a so-called truth commission established by the constituyente announced investigations into Julio Borges, president of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, and Freddy Guevara, the assembly’s vice president

• Anthony Faiola, Rachelle Krygier, “Venezuela Intensifies Crackdown on Government Critics” (The Washington Post, August 18, 2017).

Maduro loyalists issued a new arrest warrant for one prominent legislator and vowed to remove his immunity from prosecution in a case that could become a model for targeting other critics

Western Hemisphere Regional

• “Donald Trump Blusters, Latin America Shrugs” (The Economist (Uk), August 18, 2017).

Mr Trump is seen as something of a paper tiger