Category: Blog

Costa Rica’s Constitutional Chamber has struck down a resolution that increased visitor quotas at Corcovado National Park, ruling that the measure lacked scientific justification and violated environmental safeguards. In its August 8 ruling, the court ordered Paula Mena, director of the Osa Conservation Area (Acosa) of the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC), to revoke …

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The U.S. Department of State published the 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, highlighting there “were no significant changes in the human rights situation in Costa Rica during the year,” and no credible reports of significant human rights abuses. However, the document did point out certain findings that sounded the alarms, particularly regarding freedom …

Read more “Costa Rica Faces Criticism Over Press and Labor Rights”

El Salvador’s Congress, controlled by President Nayib Bukele, voted Friday to extend the detention of tens of thousands of alleged gang members until at least 2027, giving prosecutors time to prepare charges for around 600 planned mass trials. The measure is part of a reform to the Organized Crime Law, passed just ten days before …

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The Nicaraguan government on Thursday accused a retired general, once an ally of President Daniel Ortega, and his son of using shell companies to launder money through the operation of a geothermal plant. Retired military officer and former guerrilla Álvaro Baltodano Cantarero was once a key political and investment operator for the Sandinista government. However, …

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A 7-year-old boy was bitten by a dog Saturday evening while walking with his family inside the Multiplaza shopping center in Escazú. Witnesses said the dog was coming down an escalator when it bit the boy’s leg without warning, tearing the skin and exposing tissue. The boy’s mother, who later posted her account on Facebook, …

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Southwest Airlines has announced a new nonstop route connecting Nashville, Tennessee, to San Jose, Costa Rica. The service kicks off on March 7, 2026, and runs as a seasonal weekly flight on Saturdays. It starts with four weeks of operation, but the airline plans to extend it based on demand and passenger numbers. The flight …

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Families across our country gather today to honor mothers on this national holiday. Unlike many countries that observe the day in May, Costa Rica sets aside August 15 for the occasion, tying it to the Catholic Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. The date creates a long weekend this year, falling on a …

Read more “Mother’s Day in Costa Rica – Traditions and Celebrations”

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”