Good news from Honduras
Gustavo Castro Soto is safe and the funding for the Agua Zarca Dam has been suspended. #JusticeforBerta
Urgent! Honduras: Email Congress by Monday
Ask your Congressional representative to sign on to a “Dear Colleague” letter to Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Treasure Jack Lew calling for justice and peace in Honduras.
Urgent! Honduras: Protect Gustavo Castro Soto
The life of Mexican human rights defender Gustavo Castro Soto is at grave risk in Honduras! Please send emails and call now!
Brazil: Update on the mining dam disaster
The following article, published in the March-April 2016 issue of Newsnotes, is an update on the environmental crisis in Brazil caused by a dam that burst in November, killing 17 people, displacing thousands, and polluting the River Doce with toxic mud. See our previous article, Brazil: Worst environmental disaster in history, in the January-February issue…
Bolivia: End of the Evo era
In February, voters in Bolivia rejected a ballot measure that would have allowed President Evo Morales to run for president for a third term. Maryknoll Fr. Gene Toland, director of the Maryknoll Center in Cochabamba, Bolivia, wrote the following reflection on this historic vote..
El Salvador: Breakthrough in case of Jesuit martyrs
After almost thirty years of impunity, there may finally be some measure of justice for the six Jesuit priests and two women murdered by the Salvadoran military in San Salvador in 1989.
Guatemala: Political transition and protests
Since his inauguration in January, former comedian and now President Jimmy Morales has faced an intense Congressional transition and renewal of mass protests in Guatemala.
Guatemala: Indigenous peoples’ rights
In February, Maryknoll Sister Ann Braudis joined fellow Maryknoll Sister Eva Canales in Guatemala to investigate human and land rights violations perpetrated against poor and indigenous people.
Mexico: Pope Francis calls for open hearts
In February, Pope Francis completed a six-day pastoral visit to Mexico. With five key moments, the pope addressed the full spectrum of Mexican society and delivered a clear moral message about corruption and poverty, violence, and migration that transcends national boundaries and speaks to the whole world.
Take action: ¡Berta Cáceres presente!
Urge the State Department to assist the government of Honduras in finding and holding accountable the murderers of Berta Cáceres.
Stand with Pope Francis on migration
Ask President Obama and Congress to commit to humane policies that respond to the realities of migration.
Guatemala: Former military officers arrested
In early January, Guatemalan police arrested 18 people on charges of crimes against humanity, as part of an ongoing investigation into forced disappearances that occurred between 1981 and 1988 against indigenous communities.
Brazil: TIAA-CREF and Land Grabbing
In November, a report was presented by the Social Network for Justice and Human Rights, a human rights organization in Brazil, and GRAIN, a food sovereignty NGO, about land grabbing in Brazil by TIAA-CREF, at the International Seminar on Land Grabbing, at City University of New York Graduate Center.
Brazil: Worst environmental disaster in history
Southeastern Brazil has been devastated by toxic mud due to a dam that burst at an iron-ore mine in November. Brazil is calling it the worst environmental disaster in its history.
Seeds of the Church
Ten Maryknoll Sisters joined the SHARE Delegation to El Salvador for the 35th Anniversary of the martyrdom of the four churchwomen from November 28 – December 5, 2015.
Mexico: Costs of immigration enforcement
The U.S. and Mexican governments have not addressed the root causes of the flow of migrants from Central America to the U.S.; rather, they have worked together to stop the flow by force.
Honduras: OAS plan to combat corruption
Despite the growing political volatility in Honduras, President Juan Orlando Hernandez has managed to remain in office by negotiating with the Organization of Americans States (OAS) to adopt a plan to facilitate national dialogue.
Guatemala: Latest election no laughing matter
On October 25, former comedian and television celebrity Jimmy Morales won Guatemala’s presidential election after a rising anti-corruption citizens’ movement helped bring down President Otto Pérez Molina. The underlining challenges and the political views of Jimmy Morales signal major troubles ahead.