Central America
Honduras lawmaker crisis heads to court
AFP
The crisis in Honduras’s Congress — where rival factions of new President Xiomara Castro’s left-wing Libre party have elected separate leaders — headed to the country’s Supreme Court on Friday, with both sides asking justices to settle the dispute.
Castro ally Luis Redondo, who belongs to Libre’s coalition partner Savior Party of Honduras (PSH), and Jorge Calix, who represents Libre’s rebel faction and has opposition backing, each claim to be the rightful leader of Congress.
The crisis, which initially saw lawmakers come to blows, erupted last week when a group of Libre dissidents ignored an agreement with the PSH, whose support was key to Castro winning the November elections and which had been promised the Congress leadership post.
The Libre dissidents argued that Congress should be led by the party with the most members — Libre has 50 deputies compared to just 10 for the PSH.
The ruckus was an embarrassing distraction for Castro, who was sworn in Thursday as the Central American nation’s first woman president.
Control of the legislature is key to Castro’s anti-corruption and political reform platform in a country battered by poverty, migration and drug trafficking.
Redondo was operating out of the official seat of Congress, while Calix was operating virtually.
Calix has been joined by more than 70 of the body’s 128 deputies while only around 40 were in the Congress building, but the Redondo faction achieved a quorum as substitute lawmakers stood in for those that were absent.
Castro offered Calix a position in her government team, but he has not so far responded.
“I believe in dialogue to find a political solution to this conflict. However, I respect the right of those who oppose us to go” to the Supreme Court, Calix said on Twitter Friday. “Let’s talk.”
On Thursday, both sides went separately before the Supreme Court’s constitutional chamber to ask for a ruling on the situation.
The lawyer representing Calix, Jose Rodriguez, has filed a writ of amparo, which can be invoked when someone believes their constitutional rights are being violated.
The attorney told AFP that if successful, his motion would strip Redondo of his functions and install Calix as the rightful leader of Congress while the situation plays out.
Earlier, lawmaker Jose Lagos, leader of a minority party, went to the court to file a motion against Calix for “violating the constitutional rights of millions of Hondurans.”
Rodriguez said the court must respond within a week.
Four of the five judges in the court’s constitutional chamber were named to their posts by the previous Congress, which was dominated by the right-wing National Party of former president Juan Orlando Hernandez, which is now aligned with Calix.
On Friday, the Congress building was closed, with workers prevented from entering.
Central America
Guatemala arrests first escaped gang member after Barrio 18 prison break
Guatemala’s Ministry of the Interior confirmed early Monday the arrest of one of the 20 inmates affiliated with the Barrio 18 gang who escaped from prison over the weekend, a situation authorities uncovered after conducting an inmate count.
The detainee, identified as Byron Eduardo Fajardo Revolorio, also known as “Black Demon,” was captured early Monday in the eastern department of Santa Rosa, along with members of his family.
On Sunday, the national prison system reported that 20 inmates were missing following an inspection at the facility. The U.S. government designated Barrio 18 as a terrorist organization in September, citing its role in widespread violence and insecurity across the region.
In a statement, the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala described the mass escape as “completely unacceptable” and urged authorities to swiftly recapture all fugitives.
Interior Minister Francisco Jiménez confirmed to The Associated Press that he had dismissed the director of the National Penitentiary System, Ludin Godínez, as well as the warden of the facility where the escape occurred. Complaints have been filed to determine those responsible.
During a press conference, Jiménez added that nine officials in total were removed from their posts, including directors and deputy directors of the Fraijanes II, Mariscal Zavala, Izabal, and Renovación I prisons.
The minister also warned that, following the U.S. designation of Barrio 18 as a terrorist group, anyone found aiding its members will face prosecution. He announced rewards of up to $20,000 for information leading to the capture of each escaped inmate.
Central America
Fraijanes II prison in Guatemala reports gradual escape of 18th Street gang inmates
The Director of the Guatemalan Penitentiary System, Ludin Astolfo Godínez, confirmed the escape of 20 members of the 18th Street gang who were serving sentences at the Fraijanes II Preventive Detention Center for Men.
During a press conference on Sunday, Godínez stated that the escape was not simultaneous, but occurred gradually, in pairs or individually. Authorities are still investigating the exact details of how the incident took place.
The official noted that a headcount revealed the absence of 20 inmates, all affiliated with the 18th Street gang.
Godínez also indicated that corruption or bribery may have facilitated the escape, and investigations are ongoing to clarify this aspect.
“This is an escape from justice. The inmates bypassed the control, registration, and security systems. There may have been involvement from administrative personnel responsible for their custody, and we will not rule that out,” said Godínez.
Central America
U.S. suspends Venezuela talks as Trump considers next phase of military campaign
U.S. President Donald Trump has suspended diplomatic efforts with Venezuela and instructed his special envoy, Richard Grenell, to halt all negotiations, a senior U.S. official confirmed on Monday. The move comes amid growing fears of a military escalation between the two countries and after Trump stated on Sunday that there were “no boats left in the Caribbean,” referring to previous attacks, adding that he might “have to start looking on land.”
Speaking from the Oval Office alongside senior military officials last Thursday, Trump directed Grenell to stop all diplomatic initiatives with Caracas. The decision, revealed later by a U.S. official, confirms that the administration has abandoned the diplomatic path for now.
When asked whether Trump was considering military action inside Venezuela, the official, quoted by Reuters, said the president had not yet decided whether to move his campaign into a second phase.
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