Salvadorans march against bitcoin and 'dictatorship'

Issued on: 15/09/2021 -

El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele has long been accused of authoritarian tendencies MARVIN RECINOS AFP


San Salvador (AFP)

Thousands of Salvadorans protested Wednesday against the government's introduction of bitcoin as legal tender in the impoverished country as well as against judicial reforms that critics say threaten democracy.

Last week, El Salvador became the first country to use the cryptocurrency as legal tender, alongside the US dollar. The move by President Nayib Bukele was met with a mix of curiosity and concern.

On the day that Central America marks the bicentennial of its independence from Spanish rule, protesters burnt a bitcoin automatic teller machine in San Salvador, one of about 200 ATMs that have been installed throughout the country as part of the reform.

Protesters on a central square in the capital held aloft placards denouncing a "dictatorship" and signs reading "Respect the Constitution," and "No to bitcoin."

Joining the protests were judges, in suits and ties, who came out to demonstrate against a law passed recently by the Bukele-controlled legislature. The law calls for laying off all judges over 60 or those with more than 30 years of service, a move that will affect about a third of all serving judges.

"We came out on the streets because we are headed in the direction of authoritarianism... of dictatorship," said Esli Carrillo, 48-year-old judge.

Protesters fear El Salvador is steering towards a dictatorship 

MARVIN RECINOS AFP

The law, said another protester, judge Luciano Lovato, 55, threatens judicial independence and "the rule of law that we have worked so hard for."

- Republic 'in peril' -

The protesters also oppose a recent ruling by the Supreme Court, populated by judges appointed by Bukele, that gives the president the right to seek a second successive term despite a constitutional limit of a single term.

"The Republic is in peril, that is why we are demanding respect for the independence of powers," said Zaira Navas, an activist with the rights group Cristosal.

Bukele's allies now hold a majority in congress, but his policies have not found favour everywhere 

MARVIN RECINOS AFP

Peasants, workers and union activists also turned out to protest.

"We march because we don’t want that bitcoin law because it does not favor us," said Natalia Belloso, 41, who wore a white T-shirt with the emblem "No to bitcoin." "It (the currency) is very volatile."

Experts and regulators have highlighted concerns about the cryptocurrency's notorious volatility, its potential impact on price inflation in a country with high poverty and unemployment, and the lack of protection for users.

Elected in 2019, Bukele enjoys broad support in El Salvador over his promises to fight organized crime and improve security in the violence-wracked country, and his allies now hold a large majority in parliament.

But Bukele has long been accused of authoritarian tendencies.

© 2021 AFP

'Nothing to celebrate': Indigenous Guatemalans protest

Issued on: 15/09/2021 - 

Guatemala's indigenous peoples claim they are the victims of discrimination 

Johan ORDONEZ AFP

Guatemala City (AFP)

Thousands of indigenous people protested in Guatemala Wednesday -- the bicentennial of Central American independence -- denounce their exclusion from political and social life as well as government corruption.

"There is nothing to celebrate," indigenous leader Thelma Cabrera, a former presidential candidate, said at a rally in the southern Retalhuleu province.

"It has been 200 years of calamity, corruption, looting and theft here in Guatemala," she added

The demonstrations were organized by the Codeca peasants movement to highlight the racism it says is directed at the Maya, Xinca and Garifuna peoples of Guatemala.

The government of Alejandro Giammattei had cancelled large public celebrations of the bicentennial due to the coronavirus epidemic.

But on Tuesday, it hosted a private event at the presidential palace, with a military air parade.

Many Guatemalans are angry about the money spent on these events during a global health crisis and in a country where poverty affects nearly 60 percent of the population.

In indigenous communities, the figure is even higher.

Dozens gathered in Guatemala City Wednesday, outside the palace, to denounce the government.

"The Giammattei government is a nefarious government," said march leader Carlos Chon at a protest in Coban in Guatemala's north.

Giammattei, 65, has been the target of repeated protests to call for his resignation by opponents claiming corruption, mismanagement and poor handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

With about 17 million inhabitants, Guatemala has recorded over 515,000 cases of Covid-19 and almost 13,000 deaths.

© 2021 AFP

Mexican city becomes 'prison' for thousands of migrants


Issued on: 16/09/2021 - 

Migrants queue outside banks to collect money sent by relatives in the city of Tapachula in southern Mexico 

CLAUDIO CRUZ AFP

Tapachula (Mexico) (AFP)

Tens of thousands of US-bound migrants stranded in an overcrowded city in southern Mexico are desperate to escape what they say feels like a huge open-air prison.

"It's horrible here. You're trapped with no way out," said Fanfant Filmonor, a Haitian who arrived in Tapachula two weeks ago from Brazil, where he spent three years until losing his job.

The migrants need permits so they can avoid being deported and continue their journey, but some have been waiting for months and despair is growing.

Mexican authorities have arrested more than 147,000 undocumented migrants already this year -- three times more than in the same period of 2020, according to the National Migration Institute.

Migrants keep pouring over the border from Guatemala, particularly since US President Joe Biden took office with a promise of a more humane approach to immigration.

But many reach a dead end in Tapachula, which rights activist Luis Garcia of the Center for Human Dignification called "the largest immigration prison in the Americas."

- 'I can't stay' -

Filmonor has already traveled through 10 countries to reach Mexico and he is not ready to give up yet.

Tens of thousands of migrants are stranded in Tapachula, which they say feels like a giant open-air prison

 CLAUDIO CRUZ AFP

"I can't stay here. I don't have a job or documents. They won't accept me here. No one will be able to stop me," the 30-year-old told AFP.

He has a bus ticket to the northern city of Monterrey and plans to try to cross the border -- if he is not arrested along the way.

The police and military monitor the entrances and exits of Tapachula, located in the state of Chiapas, making it almost impossible for the undocumented foreigners to leave.

Migrants crowd the city's main square, the money transfer offices where they collect funds sent by relatives, sidewalks or wherever they can find respite from the suffocating heat.

Domingue Paul, a 40-year-old Haitian who arrived a month ago from Chile where he lived for five years, said he hoped to join a sister living in the United States.

"But if I find a job, I'll stay here," he said.

After a catastrophic earthquake killed around 200,000 people in their country in 2010, many Haitians were welcomed by South American nations.

However, finding work and renewing their residence permits became difficult for those migrants who are now chasing the American dream instead.

Paul, his partner and two small children are surviving on money sent by his sister while he struggles to get an appointment with the Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance.

The Mexican government says that it will continue to contain the migrants in the south despite criticism

 CLAUDIO CRUZ AFP

The organization is overwhelmed by a deluge of requests for documents.

So far this year it has arranged about 77,559 permits for migrants, compared with 70,400 for all of 2019.

Without the documents, migrants cannot work, leaving them with no choice but to live on the streets of Tapachula or crammed into cheap hotel rooms and shared apartments.

They gather in doorways, around food stalls and street stands, some with babies in their arms.

Around 40,000 migrants stuck in the city of 350,000 face overcrowding, inadequate healthcare and the risk of coronavirus infection, medical aid group Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said last week.

-'Humanitarian crisis' -

Some people in Chiapas, Mexico's poorest state, have stopped treating the arrivals with empathy and now view them with weariness and suspicion.

"It has affected us in many ways, both economically and in terms of health, crime, drug addiction, armed robberies, murders," said Carmen Mijangos, who owns a food outlet.

The Mexican government, under pressure from the United States to stem flows of migrants, says that it will maintain its policy of containing them in the south despite criticism.

Migrants crowd Tapachula's square, banks, sidewalks or wherever they can find respite from the suffocating heat 

CLAUDIO CRUZ AFP

Security forces have recently broken up several migrant caravans attempting the journey from Tapachula to the United States, and two immigration agents were suspended for mistreating a Haitian.

Rights activists are seeking a court order that would allow 7,000 migrants to leave the south.

"It's not fair on Tapachula either to impose an entire humanitarian crisis on a single city," said Irineo Mujica of migrant rights group Pueblos Sin Fronteras (People Without Borders).

After the recent crackdown, many migrants fear they will be beaten, detained and deported to Guatemala if they go back on the road.

"It's not that I don't want to go -- I don't want to be here anymore," said 28-year-old Norma Villanueva from Honduras who arrived two months ago with her husband and four children.

© 2021 AFP

Wheels up: Bangkok protesters skate for democracy

Issued on: 16/09/2021 - 

Kickflipping Thai skateboarders are flipping the bird at authorities, joining pro-democracy rallies in Bangkok to vent their anger

 Lillian SUWANRUMPHA AFP

Bangkok (AFP)

Kickflipping Thai skateboarders are flipping the bird at authorities, joining pro-democracy rallies in Bangkok to vent their anger over a lack of respect and dedicated public space for extreme sports in the kingdom.

A youth-led pro-democracy movement kicked off in Thailand in July last year, demanding reforms to the monarchy, a rewrite of the military-scripted constitution and the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-cha.

A deadly third coronavirus wave and the detention of protest leaders sucked much momentum from the movement this year, but there have been near-daily small-scale rallies since June.

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The sluggish rollout of Thailand's vaccination programme, and the financial pain from restrictions has heaped political pressure on Prayut's government.

Most skateboarders are working-class youngsters whose families have been hit hardest by the pandemic and restrictions 

Lillian SUWANRUMPHA AFP

During a recent demonstration at the Democracy Monument -- a major intersection in Bangkok -- groups of skaters slid over metal bars and benches while others scaled the central part of the monument to drape a giant cloth banner with anti-government messages.

Nattakarn Tewarit, 17, says he and his fellow skaters are unfairly maligned as troublemakers and deserve greater respect after the sport was included in the recent Tokyo Olympic Games for the first time.

"We see skateboarders being shooed away by police and security guards," he told AFP, adding that building new skateparks would mean fewer collisions with pedestrians in public spaces.

A skateboarder rides with a flag that reads, 'Prayut Get Out' during an anti-government protest in Bangkok 

Lillian SUWANRUMPHA AFP

"Normal protesters use their voices as a tool against the government but we use skateboards -- they are our weapon."

Fellow skater Thana, 19, is upset about the government's handling of the coronavirus outbreak and says most skateboarders are working-class youngsters whose families have been hit hardest by the pandemic and restrictions.

New cases on Wednesday tallied close to 12,000 after hitting a peak of 23,000 infections a day last month -- but testing rates have also declined.

"It's where lost souls come together," Thana told AFP, adding the hobby had helped many of his friends cope with depression.

"It's more than just a sport."

Ice, 18, says the protest allows her friends to express their creativity.

"When we skate across the mock-up dead bodies with the face of General Prayut... we want to express our anger and disapproval against the government," she told AFP.

© 2021 AF

Tech giants used 'loopholes' to duck merger reviews, FTC says

by David McLaughlin, Bloomberg News

Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Hundreds of deals by U.S. technology giants flew under the radar of merger watchdogs, fueling the companies' unchecked growth in the digital economy, according to a Federal Trade Commission study.

The data on acquisitions by Apple Inc., Amazon.com Inc., Alphabet Inc.'s Google, and Microsoft Corp. show that antitrust enforcers must be more aggressive in making sure companies aren't taking advantage of "loopholes" to avoid reporting deals to regulators, FTC Chair Lina Khan said Wednesday.

"This study highlights the systemic nature of their acquisition strategy," Khan said about the tech companies during an FTC public meeting. "Digital markets in particular reveal how smaller transactions invite vigilance."

The findings could bolster arguments that competition cops need to step up scrutiny of acquisitions by tech platforms to curb their power. In July, President Joe Biden vowed tougher merger enforcement of tech companies, saying the industry's biggest players have used deals to shut down emerging threats to their businesses.

"Too often, federal agencies have not blocked, conditioned, or, in some cases, meaningfully examined these acquisitions," the administration said.

The data comes from a study the FTC announced last year to examine deals between 2010 and 2019 by the five tech giants to better understand whether acquisitions occurring outside the view of antitrust enforcers could be undermining competition.

The FTC issued orders to the five companies requiring them to provide information about past acquisitions that weren't reported to antitrust agencies. The companies identified 819 such transactions, including acquisitions of voting control of companies, partial investments, patent acquisitions, and what the FTC called "hiring events" in which a group of employees were hired from another company.

Although the FTC didn't identify specific transactions by companies, one example is Facebook's acquisition last year of image library Giphy for about $400 million. Bloomberg News reported last month that before the takeover, Giphy paid a dividend to investors. While perfectly legal, the payment lowered the value of Giphy's assets so that antitrust officials didn't have to be notified of the deal under the reporting thresholds at the time.

Antitrust enforcers look at only a fraction of deals that occur every year. Slightly more than 2,000 deals were filed to the government between October 2018 and September 2019, the most recent period reported by the FTC and the Justice Department, which share antitrust duties. The government reviews account for about 10% of almost 22,000 deals announced in that period involving a U.S. company, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

The U.S. system for screening mergers was created by the 1976 law known as the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act. The law requires companies to notify antitrust officials about deals that meet annually adjusted thresholds. Transactions valued at $92 million or less don't have to be reported, while those over $368 million do. For deals between $92 million and $368 million, filing requirements are based on assets and sales of the buyer and seller.

Those levels are far below the multibillion-dollar deals that typically garner the most attention. The thinking behind the cutoffs is that small deals don't raise antitrust concerns and looking at every transaction would be a waste of resources.

Reviewing more deals, however, could strain resources at the Justice Department and the FTC. The FTC has said it's struggling to handle this year's record merger levels and has warned that it may extend merger reviews that can't be completed during an initial 30-day period.

Khan said the study shows that tech companies are devoting resources to acquiring startups, patent portfolios and engineering talent outside the purview of antitrust enforcers. She said the FTC may be "unjustifiably" allowing companies to make acquisitions without any scrutiny.

"While broader reforms to HSR may be overdue, the antitrust agencies must also guard against unduly permissive interpretations that handicap us," Khan said, referring to the current law.

Big Tech acquisitions over past decade to face fresh US review

©2021 Bloomberg L.P. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

• 
  

FIRST JEWISH GOVENOR OF COLORADO

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, the nation’s first openly gay governor, marries his longtime partner Marlon Reis

The couple wed at a small, traditional Jewish ceremony that was held outdoors with family and friends present

Jesse Paul
Sep 15, 2021

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis marries his longtime partner Marlon Reis. (Jocelyn Augustino photo)

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis married his longtime partner, Marlon Reis, on Wednesday afternoon.

The couple wed at a small, traditional Jewish ceremony that was held outdoors with family and friends present, according to the governor’s office. Rabbi Tirzah Firestone officiated.

The governor’s office said every guest was required to test negative for COVID-19.

“The greatest lesson we have learned over the past eighteen months is that life as we know it can change in an instant,” Polis and Reis said in a join statement. “We are thankful for the health and wellbeing of our family and friends, and the opportunity to celebrate our life together as a married couple. After 18 years, we couldn’t be happier to be married at last.”

The couple got engaged in December as Polis was preparing to take Reis to a hospital to be treated for a COVID-19 infection.

“It was the absolute perfect time,” Reis told The Colorado Sun earlier this year. “I said to him, ‘I couldn’t breathe before. Now I really can’t breathe.’”

Gov. Jared Polis and First Gentleman Marlon Reis show off their engagement rings. (Provided photo)

Reis and Polis have two children, a 9-year-old boy and a 7-year-old daughter.

Polis, 46, is the nation’s first openly gay elected governor.

 

Perturbed over Pakistan, Qatar and Turkey's outreach to Taliban, Saudi Arabia eyes closer ties to India

Saudi Prince, Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud is expected to be in New Delhi this weekend as part of his first visit to India as foreign minister where talks will mostly focus on the evolving situation in Afghanistan

FP StaffSeptember 16, 2021 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh. AFP

Saudi Arabia foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud is expected to visit India this weekend to discuss the unfolding situation in Afghanistan and the Taliban’s takeover of the country.

Prince Faisal, scheduled to land in India on 19 September, is expected to hold meetings with External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and also Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

This meet comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed the Afghanistan situation with UAE crown prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on 3 September over the telephone, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar hosted Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic advisor to UAE president, on 30 August and exchanged notes on the Kabul crisis.

Qatar, Turkey’s and Pakistan’s proximity to Taliban

India's allies in West Asia, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, are worried about the security ramifications of a Taliban-led Afghanistan and the ties shared by the Taliban and global terrorist networks.

The two nations are also said to have been perturbed by the active role played by Qatar, Turkey and Pakistan in engaging with the Taliban regime.

Qatar has turned out to be a trusted mediator in this conflict.

Doha has become a key broker in Afghanistan following last month's withdrawal of US forces, helping evacuate thousands of foreigners and Afghans, engaging the new Taliban rulers and supporting operations at Kabul airport.

Since the US pullout, Qatar Airways planes have made several trips to Kabul, flying in aid and Doha's representatives and ferrying out foreign passport holders.

Meanwhile, Turkey, which has strong historical and ethnic ties in Afghanistan, has been on the ground with non-combat troops as the only Muslim-majority member of the NATO alliance there.

According to analysts, it has developed close intelligence ties with some Taliban-linked militia. Turkey is also an ally of neighbouring Pakistan, from whose religious seminaries the Taliban first emerged.

Last week, it was reported that Turkish officials held talks with the Taliban lasting over three hours. Some of the discussions were about the future operation of the airport itself, which Turkish troops have guarded for six years.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has also stated: "Turkey is ready to lend all kinds of support for Afghanistan's unity but will follow a very cautious path."

Professor Ahmet Kasim Han, an expert on Afghan relations at Istanbul's Altinbas University, while speaking to BBC said that he believes dealing with the Taliban will provide President Erdogan with an opportunity.

He says Turkey may try to position itself as "guarantor, mediator, facilitator", as a more trusted intermediary than Russia or China, who have kept their embassies open in Kabul.

"Turkey can serve that role," he says.

According to experts, the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan has delivered a strategic victory to Pakistan, establishing a friendly government in Kabul for the first time in nearly 20 years.

Pakistan has backed the Taliban from their earliest days. Islamabad was one of only three countries to recognise the Taliban government in the 1990s and the last to break formal ties with it in 2001.

It also provided safe havens to Taliban leaders and medical facilities for wounded fighters. This assistance helped sustain the Taliban, even as they lost thousands of foot soldiers.

Pakistan last week sent supplies such as cooking oil and medicine to authorities in Kabul, while the country's foreign minister called on the international community to provide assistance without conditions and to unfreeze Afghanistan’s assets.

Additionally, a Pakistan International Airlines plane from Islamabad flew to Kabul on Monday, making it the first flight to land in Afghanistan from neighbouring Pakistan since the chaotic final withdrawal of US troops last month.

Saudi-Taliban ties

In the past, they worked together. But today, Saudi Arabia and the Taliban are separated by political and cultural differences, as well as some problematic history.

The last time the Taliban ran Afghanistan, between 1996 and 2001, Saudi Arabia was one of only three countries in the world to officially recognise the Islamist group's government. Neighbouring Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were the other two.

The situation changed dramatically for Saudi Arabia and the UAE after Al-Qaeda, the Sunni Muslim terrorist group, carried out suicide attacks in the US on 11 September, 2001, resulting in the deaths of over 3,000 people.

This was because Saudi Arabia had a diplomatic relationship with the United States since 1940 and the American were the Kingdom's strongest allies in trade and security.

Experts note that Saudi Arabia's once-close ties will not be revived any time soon.

The Saudi-US alliance remains important, and the country's ongoing cultural changes also play a part in this.

Saudi's controversial crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, is trying to modernise his country and the idea of a more liberal and open Saudi Arabia doesn't sit well with lending support to Islamist extremists in other countries.

Moreover, Kabir Taneja, a fellow at the India-based think tank Observer Research Foundation, wrote, "To maintain its image as an upcoming investment mecca, Riyadh will have to make sure it does not once again become home to mass migration of fighters flying in and out of the Afghanistan … or become a hub of funding enabling extremist activities."

Where does India come in?

India’s policymakers must look to Saudi Arabia to expand cooperation in anti-terrorism activities and expand dialogue on relations between the two, which will help protect the India's interests related to Afghanistan.

Saudi Arabia also believes that closer ties to India will help re-balance the geopolitics of the region, whereas India believes a good relationship with Saudi will give it a chance to counter a hostile China-Pakistan axis gaining strategic depth across the Khyber.

Inputs from agencies

 

Power vacuum, earthquake and crime -- Haiti sinks deeper into gloom

Issued on: 16/09/2021 - 

A street market in Haiti, where people are struggling to get by as the country drifts rudderless  Richard Pierrin AFP

Port-au-Prince (AFP)

Haiti sunk deeper into confusion and fear Wednesday, a day after the Port-au-Prince prosecutor was sacked for requesting the indictment of the prime minister on suspicion of involvement in the assassination of President Jovenel Moise.

The country has been rudderless and beset by a worsening humanitarian and political crisis since an armed hit squad killed the president on July 7, a crisis only worsened by a deadly earthquake a month later.

- Prime Minister in hot seat -

Moise's last political act was to appoint Ariel Henry as head of government as prime minister. But even before the funeral of the head of state, a standoff had erupted between Henry and his former interim predecessor, Claude Joseph.

Amid pressure from various countries, tensions seemed to ease, with politicians in Port-au-Prince unanimously demanding that those responsible for the president's slaying be brought to justice. Henry solemnly pledged to do so.

But over the following weeks, the new premier proved incapable of keeping another promise: to create a climate conducive to the organization of fresh elections.

Worse, Henry is now suspected of having had telephone exchanges in the hours after the attack with one of the main suspects of the president's assassination. Henry has swept away the accusation without any response, other than dismissing the prosecutor who leveled the accusations against him.

- Power vacuum -

The abrupt presidential void since July 7 was a final blow for Haitian democracy. Moise had not held any elections since coming to power in 2017, and as a result Haiti now has only 10 elected officials.

Members of parliament left their seats in January 2020, leaving only a third of the Senate as the sole symbolic guarantor of legislative power. But they lacked any ability to legislate or control the actions of a government whose legitimacy was contested.

Moise, criticized by the opposition for authoritarian overreach, also weakened the justice system by not appointing new judges to the higher ranks of the judiciary.

In February, after denouncing an attempted coup, the late president illegally forced three judges on the Appeals Court into retirement. Lacking sufficient members to convene, the highest court of justice in the country is now paralyzed.

- No referee in sight -

With a hollowed-out political class, any interim management of Haiti is now adrift.

After dozens of military coups, Haiti demobilized its army in 1995, but it was reconstituted by Moise in 2015. It still has only about 500 members, mostly engineers more capable of tackling natural disasters than any foreign foes.

The ranks of the National Police force may have grown since its foundation in 1995, but it still has fewer than 20,000 officers serving a crime-wracked country of 10 million, and has been shaken by internal disputes

The force has also seen its credibility undermined by the fact that no police officer protecting the president was even injured during the assassination.

Over the past five years, the United Nations has steadily reduced its presence in the Caribbean country. The UN first withdrew its peacekeepers -- sent in 2004 after the ouster of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide -- in 2017, and then in 2019 wound up its police mission.

And Haiti's modern troubles come barely a decade after a 2010 earthquake killed some 200,000 people and a subsequent cholera outbreak killed another 10,000.

Foreign diplomats have observed all this with a silence that speaks volumes. Even if any informal exchanges have been organized with the Haitian political class, no official note on the crisis has been issued by the Core Group, made up of representatives of the United Nations, the European Union and the Organization of American States, as well as various embassies, since July 17.

- Poverty, insecurity, earthquake -

At a time when most Haitians struggle to put food on the table, widespread insecurity is hindering any prospect of economic recovery.

Heavily armed gangs control several suburbs of the capital, from where they carry out kidnappings with impunity and regularly block all access to the only oil terminals in the country.

Finally, a month after the earthquake that devastated southwestern Haiti and killed more than 2,200 people, some 650,000 Haitians, including 260,000 children and adolescents, continue to need emergency humanitarian aid, Unicef said Tuesday.

© 2021 AFP

Stranded migrants protest in southern Mexico

Issued on: 15/09/2021 

Migrants march in the southern Mexican city of Tapachula to demand the right to travel freely to the United States CLAUDIO CRUZ AFP

Tapachula (Mexico) (AFP)

Dozens of mostly Haitian migrants stranded in southern Mexico protested on Wednesday to demand the right to travel freely to the United States.

Around 200 people marched through the city of Tapachula near the border with Guatemala to the immigration office to ask for documents that would allow them to head north.

Mexican security forces have recently broken up several migrant caravans attempting the journey, prompting accusations of excessive use of force

Rights activists are seeking a court order allowing the migrants to leave Tapachula, where thousands have been stranded for months without permission to cross Mexican territory.

Campaigners on Wednesday submitted five injunction requests for urgent cases to the federal courts, said Luis Garcia of the Center for Human Dignification.

"Today these families are going to go on foot, by bus or however they can towards the northern border," he told reporters.

Migrants stuck in Tapachula face overcrowding, inadequate healthcare and the risk of coronavirus infection, medical aid group Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said last week.

On Monday campaigners will seek permission for 7,000 migrants to travel in a caravan to Mexico City and demand a solution from President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Garcia said.

"We're going to go to Mexico City no matter what. Tapachula is not a garbage dump," he added.

Activists including Garcia ended a 72-hour hunger strike they held to demand free transit and an end to the use of force against migrants.

The National Migration Institute (INM) recently suspended two of its agents for mistreating a Haitian migrant while dispersing one of the caravans.

Mexico has seen increased arrivals of migrants fleeing violence and poverty since US President Joe Biden took up residence in the White House with a promise of a more humane approach toward migrants.

Mexican authorities have arrested more than 147,000 undocumented migrants so far this year -- three times more than in the same period of 2020, according to the INM.

© 2021 AFP

Haiti government begins unraveling as newly accused PM fires justice minister

Issued on: 16/09/2021 -

Prime Minister Ariel Henry poses with Minister of Justice and Public Security Rockefeller Vincent (R) during a ceremony at La Primature in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on July 20, 2021. © Valerie Baeriswyl, AFP

Text by:NEWS WIRES

Haiti’s government is starting to crumble as Prime Minister Ariel Henry faces increased scrutiny from authorities investigating the president’s slaying, with Henry firing the justice minister late Wednesday, just hours after another top official resigned and accused Henry of obstructing justice in a sharply worded letter.

Henry’s dismissal of Justice Minister Rockfeller Vincent came a day after he fired Port-au-Prince’s chief prosecutor, who had linked the prime minister to a key suspect in the killing of President Jovenel Moïse.

Meanwhile, Renald Lubérice, who served more than four years as secretary general of Haiti’s Council of Ministers, said he could not remain under the direction of someone who is under suspicion and who “does not intend to cooperate with justice, seeking, on the contrary, by all means, to obstruct it.”

Lubérice also said he is concerned about the alleged evidence against Henry in the killing.

“May each minister put himself at the height of his mission at this historic crossroads,” he said

A spokesman for Henry declined to comment. Vincent tweeted that the confidence Moïse showed him allowed him to serve with “dignity, competence, loyalty and a sense of public service.”

Vincent added that Haiti is obligated to bring those responsible to justice: “It is a matter of national dignity. I am counting on the independence of the justice of my country to shed light on this emblematic case and all the other pending cases.”

Henry appointed Liszt Quitel as justice minister and Josué Pierre Louis as the council’s secretary general. Quitel had been serving as interior minister under Henry and was once an adviser to then Haitian President René Préval.

The appointments come less than a week after then Port-au-Prince chief prosecutor Bed-Ford Claude asked Henry to meet with him Tuesday to explain why he had two phone conversations with a key suspect just hours after the July 7 killing of Moïse at his home. The suspect, Joseph Badio, was fired from the government’s anti-corruption unit in May and remains a fugitive, according to police, who seek him on charges including murder.

On Tuesday, Claude ordered the judge overseeing the case to charge and investigate the prime minister based on that evidence. Hours later, a new chief prosecutor replaced Claude on orders of Henry, who accused Claude of an undefined, “serious administrative fault.”

The day before Claude was fired, Vincent ordered that the chief of Haiti’s National Police increase security for the prosecutor, saying he had received “important and disturbing threats” in recent days.

The developments underline that Moïse’s Tèt Kale party is fracturing, said Robert Fatton, a Haitian politics expert at the University of Virginia.

Some politicians are aligning themselves with Henry and others are breaking away, threatening to further destabilize the country as it tries to recover from the turmoil of the assassination and a recent earthquake that killed more than 2,200 people as it prepares for upcoming presidential and legislative elections.

Among those breaking away is Senate President Joseph Lambert, a one-time Moïse ally who recently proclaimed himself as provisional president in a move that has only received support from several politicians and has not been recognized by Henry’s administration or anyone in the international community.

“I don’t know how long the power struggle can continue,” Fatton said. “All of it is bewildering. We’ll have to wait to see if the situation settles and if Ariel Henry wins that battle.”

Henry, who Moïse named as prime minister shortly before he was killed, has not spoken publicly on the issue this week, saying only over the weekend that he is focused on stabilizing Haiti and would not be distracted by summons, maneuvers or threats.

Haiti’s ombudsman-like Office of Citizen Protection recently called on Henry to resign and asked the international community to stop supporting him.

On Wednesday evening, a key group of diplomats issued a statement saying it encouraged efforts by Henry and other political leaders to reach an agreement and form an inclusive government “to preserve national cohesion and allow the country to resume its journey towards political stability.”

The Core Group, composed of ambassadors from Germany, Brazil, Canada, Spain, the U.S., France, the European Union and representatives from the United Nations and the Organization of American States, also demanded that “full light be shed on the assassination” of Moïse.

More than 40 suspects have been arrested in the slaying, including 18 Colombian ex-soldiers who have accused Haitian authorities of torturing them while they are in custody. The investigation has faced several setbacks, including death threats that have forced court clerks to go into hiding and a judge to step down after one of his assistants died in unclear circumstances.

(AP)