View this email in your browser 💻 May 23, 2023

On today's El Boletin:

🗞 Don Pedro, an environmentalist veteran, continues to defend Honduras’ western lands despite growing threats

🗞️ Proposed tax reform brings challenges for the Xiomara Castro administration

🚌The Other Side of Migration: 8-year-old girl dies in U.S Customs and Border Protection custody

🌎 Central American News: The International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia

🌟 Riccy, a short film by Mildred Tejeda based on a femicide that shook Honduras in the early 90s

Photo: Amilcar Izaguirre

Don Pedro, an environmentalist veteran, continues to defend Honduras’ western lands despite growing threats

Pedro Pinto, an environmentalist veteran shares his experiences after 30 years of defending his land in the western region of Honduras.

In November 2022, two of his vehicles were burned by an unknown party, he believes it was enemies of his work as an environmental defender. Despite the threats, Pedro continues to defend his land and fight for the protection of the Güisayote Reserve, located in the small community of La Labor, in Ocotepeque, Honduras.

Being an environmental defender has become one of the most dangerous jobs in Honduras. Between 2002 to 2014, 111 environmentalists have been killed in the country. In places such as Ocotepeque, the job is even more dangerous, as these communities are usually ignored by politicians, and the locals are the only ones left to protect their land.

We asked Don Pedro if he had felt alone after so many years of land struggles. "Sometimes, but I have never stopped because this is a heritage that should be seen as something necessary", he said, while behind him, like a green giant, the Güisayote appeared imposing.

Read Here 🌎

Check out our full Twitter 🧵 about Don Pedro and his environmental work here!

Photo: Jorge Cabrera

Proposed tax reform brings political turmoil to Castro's administration

Currently, the Castro administration is facing political turmoil due to its proposed tax reform. On May 9, multiple workers and businessmen in Cholutecaprotested the bill, claiming that it will undermine and negatively impact the economy as it will revoke multiple concessions to private companies.

The Executive branch proposed the bill in an effort to reform Honduras’ tax law which according to the president has led to the loss of 6 billion lempiras. The bill is currently under consideration in Congress but it has caused great turmoil in the political and private business sector of the country.

President Castro has launched a full-on investigation into the Choluteca protest despite the protest being peaceful and in order. While Congress members from the Nationalist Party have expressed their discontent by obstructing sessions and walking out during the preliminary hearings for the bill.

Read Here 🌎 (In Spanish)

The Other Side Of Migration

🚌 The Mexican government has started to move migrants away from border cities and into the center of the country. Mexican authorities reported that they have begun flying migrants away from border towns and to shelters located in inner cities. This has relieved the demand for protection and other necessities in border cities located on the Mexican-Guatemalan border and Southern U.S.

🚌 Last week, an 8-year-old Panamanian girl died in a U.S Customs and Border Protection facility. The child migrant was taken into custody along with her family on May 14, and soon after she was diagnosed with flu. She died on May 18.

Family members have told migrant advocates that they were not given the proper medical attention, while Customs and Border Protection claims that they provided the medical attention necessary.

Central America News Roundup 🌎

🇬🇹 Guatemala- El Periodico published its final edition on Monday, May 15 after 27 years of service. This comes after the Guatemalan government arrested its founder Jose Ruben Zamora. The end of El Periodico has sparked concern from independent journalist organizations which see this as yet again another sign of the growing authoritarianism of the region.

🇸🇻 El Salvador- 12 people were killed in a soccer stadium in El Salvador in a crush after the overselling of tickets. According to authorities, the stampede left 500 people injured. The match was between Alianza and FAS, the two most popular soccer teams in the country.

🇳🇮 Nicaragua - Nicaraguan authorities continue to repress the opposition groups. Last week, the government arrested 18 people for crimes of “conspiracy to undermine the national integrity and spread of misinformation”.

🇧🇿 Belize- Belizean authorities are currently investigating the death of Imari Galvez, a 19-year-old girl that was found dead on a highway in Belmopan. The death of Imari has hit the Belmopan community hard and her boyfriend, a popular local soccer player has been detained.

🇨🇷Costa Rica- On May 17, the Costa Rican government proposed an 8% budget cut to the Ministry of Culture. The budget cuts will affect multiple cultural programs and events such as Costa Rica’s film festival and the national orchestra. Workers of the Ministry of Culture went to the streets to protest against the measure. While the Minister of Finance explained that the cut was done as a punishment for not spending their budget effectively.

🇵🇦Panama- Severe droughts in the Panama Canal are forcing ships to reduce their loads and carrying capacity. Experts believe that the new restrictions will impact the world economy as they will impact trading routes and estimated shipping times.

May 17 was the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia. In Honduras, the LGBTQ community continues to be attacked by the same government officials that are supposed to protect them. However, the community continues to fight for their rights and their presence remains strong.

Check out Contracorriente's post on Insta to learn about the efforts of the LGBTQ community in Honduras

In other news 💪 🇭🇳

Riccy by Mildred Tejeda 🎥🇭🇳

The Honduran short film, Riccy, by Mildred Tejeda won an award at International Political Film Festival in Argentina.

The film was produced by Mildred Tejeda and it's based on the real-life case of Riccy Mabel Martinez. Riccy was an 18-year-old girl that was killed by military personnel in the early 90s. The femicide shook Honduras for its horrific details and demonstrated the unchecked power of the military. The film tells the story of Riccy and it was released this year during International Women’s Day to commemorate Riccy’s life.

🌟 Congrats Grads 🌟

Congratulations to all the high school, college, business school, med school, law school, Ph.D... graduates from the Central American Diaspora of this graduation season!! Keep chasing your dreams and putting the diaspora high and proud 💪

🖼️ La Fiesta de Boaco, Julio Sequiera, 1980

Message from the editor!

Thank you for tuning in and see you all next time! Remember to share the newsletter and support independent journalism!!

Abrazos ,

Jorge Paz Reyes

English Content Editor

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