Guatemala and El Salvador start the year

The Center for Democracy in the Americas has their January update on events from El Salvador. It's always an excellent review even if one sometimes has different interpretations of events in question. In the review, Linda Garrett discusses the anniversary of the peace accords, human rights developments and amnesty, the gang truce, Inocente Orlando Montano, a legal challenge to the work of Secretary of Social Inclusion Vanda Pignato, a follow up on the death threat against Héctor Silva, and ALBA in El Salvador.

The Guatemala Human Rights Commission/USA (GHRC) has a good round up of events that transpired in January. There are stories about the Rios Montt trial, mining, hydroelectric projects, human rights, and alternatives to the current drug regime.

The International Crisis Group has a new report on Totonicapán: Tension in Guatemala’s Indigenous Hinterland. Unfortunately, I am not optimistic about any of their seven recommendations.

Anita Isaacs and Rachel Schwartz also had a recent report for Americas Quarterly on Repression, Resistance, and Indigenous Rights in Guatemala.