the government ofHonduras announced yesterday that it will suspend certain constitutional rights in areas of the two major cities that are controlled by criminal groups. Rights will be suspended under a 30-day national security emergency to be implemented on Tuesday in some of the poorest areas of the capital, Tegucigalpa, and the northern city of San Pedro Sula.
Honduras towards a female president. Xiomara Castro’s left is already celebrating: “Let’s build a new era. Hasta la Victoria siempre!”
“The partial state of exception will come into force on Tuesday, December 6 at 6 pm for thirty days, to promote economic development, investment and trade activity,” the country’s security secretariat said in a statement. Cities are grappling with a so-called “war tax”: gangs offer protection and say that those who pay will not be killed. Gangs set fire to buses and killed non-paying toll drivers, prompting businesses and people to pay out of fear.
The measure, which is expected to be approved by the cabinet, is part of the president’s plan Xiomara Castro to deal with violent gangs. The plan follows pressure from businessmen, truck drivers, bus and taxi drivers, residents and non-governmental organizations who say the extortion – largely by the Mara Salvatrucha MS-13 and Mara Barrio 18 gangs – has gotten worse in the last months. This extortion generates $737 million in annual profits for the gangs, nearly 3 percent of the country’s gross domestic product, according to the Association for a More Just Society, a nongovernmental organization focused on security.
Honduras, Berta Caceres’ latest victory: the instigator of her murder convicted
by Daniele Mastrogiacomo
