Summary As always, but with an unusual quota of aggression since 2010, freedom of speech and the personal security of Honduran journalists are under permanent attack from groups, gangs, and individuals who launch their strikes under a cloak of anonymity. The journalist Medardo Flores, a relentless supporter of former President Manuel Zelaya, is the latest victim of the wave of violence directed toward members of the Honduran working press. With all the disrespect attributable...
Drug trafficking through Central America is more threatening than ever before. To combat high levels of organized crime, cartel activity, violence, and institutional corruption, Central American countries must develop coordinated efforts and joint security measures, with a particular focus on community development. The U.S. must recognize its role in the crisis and implement long-term financial and social commitments, and work toward effective policy changes to reduce the nation’s persistent demands for drugs. For years,...
From June 2009 to May 2011, Honduras was submerged in a deep economic-social-political crisis that gravely wounded the country’s growth rate and caused foreign investment to plummet. In May 2011, the Honduran government hosted “Honduras is Open for Business,” an economic conference that presented a wide range of projects paired with new legislation in order to facilitate foreign and domestic financing. The HOB initiative may bring USD 14 billion in new investment ventures. However,...
Source: The World Bank Taxation – who pays, how much they spend, and where this revenue goes – is a contentious issue in Latin America. Governments collect imposts from their citizens, and in return, the state is expected to invest prudently in education, health, and security programs that benefit society. In Central America, the taxation-governance nexus between the people and the state chronically falls short of implied expectations. Tax revenue comes in at a...
The Council on Hemispheric Affairs, a Washington-based organization, whose chairman for many years was the president of the 40,000 member News Paper Guild, described Honduras as, “Latin America’s most perfected killing field for defenseless journalists.” Any attempt by Honduran authorities to dismiss the issue as merely a matter of common street crime is beside the point. The fact is, that all Hondurans, not just journalists, who differ with government policy, live in a condition...
