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Latin American elites see journalism as “subversive,” says Guatemalan journalist

Renowned Guatemalan journalist José Rubén Zamora considered a “prisoner of conscience” by international organizations, said Friday that Latin America’s political and economic elites view journalism as a “subversive exercise” and impose severe punishments on those who practice it. Speaking virtually from Guatemala City, where he is under house arrest after spending nearly three years in prison, Zamora addressed the midyear meeting of the Inter American Press Association in Miami to denounce what he described as the region’s lack of commitment to freedom and justice. “Our elites have never embraced them in any Latin American country,” he said. “They are people who have no tolerance or respect for opposing opinions. What they seek is a single discourse, a monologue, and if not, they easily sentence you to imprisonment, burial, or exile,” he added. According to Zamora, ruling classes “throughout Latin America do not want journalists,” but rather “propagandists” and “simple servants.” “T...
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Cuba Releases Three Panamanian Women Detained Over Subversive Signs

Cuban authorities have ordered the release of three Panamanian women detained since late February on accusations of spreading subversive propaganda against the Cuban government, Panama’s Foreign Ministry said Friday. The women — Evelyn Castro, Cinthia del Carmen Camarena and Abigail Sthefany Gudiño — will be allowed to leave Cuban territory, the ministry said in a statement. Cuban officials described the move as a gesture of humanity and friendship toward Panama, citing the women’s cooperation in the legal process as effective collaborators. The decision comes nearly two months after Cuban authorities arrested 10 Panamanian citizens in Havana on February 28. The group faced charges of producing signs with content contrary to Cuba’s constitutional order, an offense punishable by three to eight years in prison under Cuban law. Cuba’s Interior Ministry said at the time that the Panamanians admitted to entering the country with instructions to create the signs. They acknowledged they wo...
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Nicaragua Memory Museum Opens in San José to Preserve Stories of 2018 Repression

A new Museum of Memory has opened in San José, Costa Rica, giving Nicaraguan exiles and victims’ families a public space to document the repression that followed the 2018 protests against Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo. The museum, titled Lo que no debemos olvidar — What Should Not Be Forgotten — was created by the Nicaragua Never Again Collective, a human rights group founded in Costa Rica in 2019 by Nicaraguan defenders forced into exile. The group has spent years documenting abuses, supporting victims, and preserving testimony from people affected by state violence in Nicaragua. The space opened on April 20 in San José, the same date Ortega reappeared publicly in Managua on the anniversary of the 2018 uprising. The timing gave the opening a clear political and historical weight: while Nicaragua’s government continues to reject accusations of repression, the museum presents another account, centered on victims, survivors, and the exiled community. The exhibit brings together ...
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University of Leicester Vacancies: Research and Academic Jobs

Last Updated on April 24, 2026 by Scholar Idea Explore the latest University of Leicester vacancies. Find Research fellowships, and academic roles. Apply now to join a top-tier UK research institution. The University of Leicester stands as a beacon of research excellence and world-class education in the heart of the UK. Consequently, many ambitious scholars ... Read more The post University of Leicester Vacancies: Research and Academic Jobs appeared first on Scholar Idea .
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Crime Concerns in Cartago Raise Questions About Costa Rica Safety

A rise in violence and theft in downtown Cartago is changing the way merchants do business, with some closing earlier, reinforcing storefronts and watching customer traffic fade in the afternoon and evening. The concerns are centered in Cartago’s historic commercial district, near the Mercado Central, the Ruins, the old barracks area and the streets surrounding the city’s traditional shopping corridors. Merchants say robberies, armed incidents and the visible presence of unhoused people have altered routines in a city long viewed as quieter than San José. The tension grew sharply after an armed attack on January 11 left two people dead near the Convento de los Padres Capuchinos, close to the city center. Police reports said the incident involved occupants of two vehicles and ended in gunfire and a fatal crash. The victims were identified by their surnames as Aguilar, 22, and Camacho, 21. For many shopkeepers, the violence has become part of daily decision-making. Yessenia Ramírez, 5...
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When Costa Rica’s Real Jungle Is the Bureaucracy

When you hear the word jungle spoken in reference to Costa Rica, your first thought likely strays to monkeys swinging through trees, scarlet macaws, toucans, blue morpho butterflies, and our unofficial national symbol, the sloth. But live here long enough and you may find yourself traipsing through a less appealing jungle, that of the Costa Rican bureaucracy. I have had my own misadventures over the years, having been turned away at the airport on one occasion due to a child support payment mix-up. I have also spent my share of time in lines to get papers stamped and documents authenticated. All of that is benign compared to the problems of another U.S. expat, an acquaintance who is caught in the unpredictable wheels of the apparatus while he tries in vain to get his residency. I heard the story secondhand while enjoying a couple of cold ones at a beachside cantina. My drinking buddy asked if I’d heard about our acquaintance Theo’s problem. I said I hadn’t, so my friend laid it out f...
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Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan Makes Her Case to Lead the United Nations

Costa Rica’s push to place Rebeca Grynspan at the head of the United Nations moved into a more public phase this week, as the former vice president used her interactive dialogue before member states to argue that the next secretary-general must put peace back at the center of the organization and take a more active role in preventing conflicts. Her candidacy gives Costa Rica an unusual opening to project its long-standing diplomatic identity onto one of the most important jobs in multilateral politics. Grynspan is one of four declared candidates currently in the race to succeed António Guterres when his second term ends on December 31, 2026, with the next secretary-general set to begin on January 1, 2027. The other contenders are Michelle Bachelet of Chile, Rafael Grossi of Argentina, and Macky Sall of Senegal. Costa Rica formally registered Grynspan’s candidac y on March 3, presenting her as a figure with government experience, deep U.N. knowledge, and a track record in crisis nego...
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