Violence against women in Costa Rica has surged to alarming levels in 2025. As of February 26, the Judicial Branch’s Observatory on Gender Violence Against Women reported 10 femicides—killings of women motivated by gender—marking a sharp rise from previous years. These figures underscore a growing crisis and highlight the state’s apparent inaction in ensuring women’s …
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Costa Rica is confronting an escalating security crisis as murders climb year after year, with contract killings increasingly shattering the nation’s reputation for peace. In response, the Security and Drug Trafficking Commission of the Legislative Assembly has approved Bill 24.137, a measure to ban two people from riding together on motorcycles in high-crime zones. The …
Read more “Costa Rica Targets Motorcycle Duos in Bid to Curb Soaring Murder Rate”
There’s always room for improvement. I can confidently say that I am better at wildlife monitoring using camera traps than I was five years ago, but that’s just the result of many small increases in competency over a long period of time. One of the things I’ve been trying to improve upon lately is allowing …
Read more “Costa Rica Dry Forest Camera Trap Catches Jaguar, Tapir and Owl”
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) assessed human rights conditions in Costa Rica through a public hearing, where several organizations shared their perspectives and concerns. The event, conducted in a regional context marked by the weakening of the rule of law and democratic institutions, highlighted the challenges facing the country. During the session, civil …
Read more “IACHR Warned of Rising Femicides and Judicial Stagnation in Costa Rica”
In a small village on the Panamanian Caribbean coast, Venezuelan Luis Montilla waits to pay for a boat on his return journey after failing to enter the United States. He prefers to sleep on the beach rather than be confined in migrant shelters: “We are not animals,” he said. Montilla, 28, and another fifty or …
Read more “Human Rights Groups Condemn Costa Rica and Panama Migrant Centers”
Guanacaste continues to solidify its reputation as one of Costa Rica’s most dynamic real estate hubs, with construction activity showing steady growth in 2024, according to the latest data from the Association of Engineers and Architects (CFIA). The province recorded a 3.2% increase in construction compared to the previous year, driven largely by urban infrastructure …
Read more “Guanacaste Housing Crisis Deepens Amid Costa Rica’s Luxury Boom”
In Costa Rica there is a strong area of the law which is Agrarian Law. This area of the law, which is highly specialized, deals with properties and other activities which are considered to be agrarian by law. There are many agrarian laws but the two most prevalent or important are: a) Ley de Jurisdicción …
Read more “Costa Rica’s New Agrarian Law: What Property Owners Must Know”
Amnesty International (AI) on Wednesday issued a strong call to Salvadoran authorities, demanding they ensure the “physical integrity” of human rights activist Fidel Zavala, detained alongside other community leaders on February 25, 2025, under charges that have sparked international concern. Zavala, a 30-year-old spokesperson for the Human Rights and Community Defense Unit (UNIDEHC), was arrested …
Read more “Amnesty Denounces Detention of Human Rights Activist in El Salvador”
Costa Rica’s agribusiness sector braces for uncertainty as U.S. President Donald Trump threatens tariffs on foreign produce, effective April 2. In a recent message to U.S. farmers, Trump urged them to ramp up production for domestic markets, hinting at a policy shift that could disrupt Costa Rican exports. Details on targeted countries and products are …
Read more “Uncertainty Grips Costa Rica’s Agribusiness as U.S. Tariffs Loom”
U.S. President Donald Trump has called on Congress to repeal the CHIPS Act, a 2022 law designed to bolster semiconductor manufacturing and reduce reliance on China by incentivizing production in allied nations like Costa Rica. Passed in August 2022 under President Joe Biden, the Act provided $39 billion in subsidies and $75 billion in credits …
Read more “CHIPS Act Repeal Threatens Costa Rica’s Semiconductor Hub Dreams”