Former Costa Rican security minister and Supreme Court justice Celso Gamboa got a break when a court in Goicoechea acquitted him of influence peddling. The case stemmed from claims that he stepped in back in 2016 to scrub San José’s ex-mayor Johnny Araya from a criminal probe during an election push. Prosecutors flipped at the …
Read more “Costa Rica’s Celso Gamboa Acquitted Amid U.S. Extradition”
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) heard a petition this week to strengthen precautionary measures for Brörán indigenous leader Pablo Sibar. The request stems from a recent land invasion that put his life and safety at immediate risk. Sibar has held these protections, known as Precautionary Measure MC 321/12, since 2015. The latest incident …
Read more “Costa Rica Indigenous Leader Pablo Sibar Petitions IACHR for Protection”
Costa Rica plans to break ground this year on a large maximum-security prison, taking cues from El Salvador’s approach to locking down serious offenders. The project aims to tackle rising organized crime and ease packed prisons across the country. Officials named the site the Center for High Containment of Organized Crime, or CACCO. It will …
Read more “Costa Rica Moves Ahead with New High-Security Prison”
Plastic pollution hits hard in Costa Rica, with tiny particles showing up everywhere from sandy shores to marine life. The Costa Rican Association of Chemists raised alarms this week about sky-high levels of microplastics on beaches, in coastal waters, and inside ocean creatures. Their alert draws from fresh research by the Center for Research in …
Read more “High Microplastic Levels Found on Costa Rica Beaches, Study Shows”
An investigation published by Mongabay revealed that Costa Rican authorities authorized the transit of 12.6 tons of shark fins from Nicaragua between 2023 and 2024. This resulted in the death of at least 15,000 sharks, as well as a violation of national laws and global efforts to conserve these species, as agreed upon by the …
Read more “Investigation Ties Costa Rica to Thousands of Shark Deaths in Fin Trade”
A new United Nations report released yesterday shows hate speech and discrimination on social media in Costa Rica hit a record 2.1 million messages this year. That’s up 16% from 2024 and a staggering 400% jump since 2021. The findings, from the 2025 Report on Hate Speech and Discrimination, point to serious risks for the …
Read more “UN Report Warns Costa Rica Faces Record Surge in Social Media Hate Speech”
La cancha, el césped, the pitch — call it what you want — the soccer field is the heart of many barrios and small towns in Costa Rica. I live right around the corner from our barrio’s multifunctional field. It’s part soccer pitch, part playground, part picnic spot — an open-air gathering place that is …
Read more “Costa Rica Sunday Soccer Matches Unite Barrios in Weekly Fútbol Ritual”
The fact that it was expected didn’t make it any less harsh. The newly approved indefinite presidential re-election in El Salvador pushes back the return of dozens of human rights defenders, journalists, lawyers, and environmentalists who went into exile to avoid prison. Four of them spoke about what they call an “escalating repression” by President …
Read more “El Salvador Indefinite Re Election Sparks Surge in Exiles”
The Municipality of Santa Cruz demolished five structures built on Avellanas Beach, within the 50-meter public zone of the maritime-terrestrial area. In a video posted on the municipality’s social media accounts, Mayor Jorge Alfaro said the demolition complied with a court order. “In a ruling issued by the Administrative Court, the municipality was ordered to …
Read more “Costa Rica Residents Protest Demolition of Homes in Avellanas”
A Guatemalan court began on Tuesday the final hearing in the trial of seven former officials over the deaths of 41 girls in a fire at a state shelter in 2017, a tragedy that shocked the country. The girls and adolescents died at the Virgen de la Asunción Safe Home on March 8, 2017, International …
Read more “Guatemala Nears Verdict in Case of 41 Girls Killed in 2017 Shelter Fire”