Central America

Nicaraguan opposition leader Suazo sentenced to 10 years in jail: group

AFP

Nicaraguan opposition leader Yubrank Suazo, who took part in protests against President Daniel Ortega’s government in 2018, was sentenced on Wednesday to 10 years in prison, his group said.

A court in the capital Managua sentenced Suazo to five years in jail for “conspiring to undermine national integrity” and another five years for spreading fake news, according to the Civic Alliance for Justice and Democracy, where he served as a director.

Suazo was “prosecuted and sentenced without having committed any crime, nor having any link with criminal structures,” the group said in a statement.

The 31-year-old hails from the southern city of Masaya, which was shaken by large anti-government protests in 2018.

The city had declared itself in rebellion against ex-guerrilla Ortega’s government as part of massive nationwide street protests.

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The government’s crackdown on the demonstrations left 355 dead.

Suazo was detained in 2018 but released in 2019 as part of an agreement with the government mediated by the Catholic Church, which also saw several hundred other opposition figures freed.

But in May Suazo was arrested again and put on trial.

A Nicaraguan NGO campaigning for political prisoners says about 190 opposition figures have been detained.

About 45 opposition figures, including seven presidential hopefuls, were arrested last year ahead of elections in which Ortega benefitted from the lack of credible opposition to win a fourth successive term.

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They were sentenced to up to 13 years in prison for allegedly undermining national security.

Ortega accuses his opponents of trying to oust him with help from the United States, which has hit him and his inner circle with sanctions.

Central America

El Salvador sees 45% surge in international tourists during holiday period

Tourism in El Salvador continues to grow during the holiday period, with a 45% increase in international arrivals compared to 2025, according to data from the Ministry of Tourism.

Tourism Minister Morena Valdez reported that the country received around 48,000 foreign visitors between Saturday, March 28 and Sunday, March 29, surpassing the 33,000 recorded during the same period last year.

International visitor behavior remains consistent, with most travelers arriving at the El Salvador International Airport and heading directly to coastal destinations, particularly Surf City and the beaches of La Libertad.

“Sun and beach tourism accounts for 80% of global travel demand. Surf City, with all the positioning work that has been done, is where visitors go, especially because it is close to the airport,” Valdez said in an interview.

However, tourism activity is not limited to La Libertad. Other destinations such as Costa del Sol, Surf City 2, as well as beaches in the western and eastern regions of the country, are also experiencing high visitor traffic.

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Central America

Panama seizes over 1,200 drug packages in container bound for Lithuania

Authorities in Panama reported the seizure of 1,251 packages of suspected drugs hidden inside a shipping container bound for Lithuania, just days after intercepting another shipment of similar size headed to the same destination.

The Panama Public Prosecutor’s Office stated on social media that, through its Colón Drug Prosecutor’s Office and in coordination with the National Anti-Drug Directorate, authorities carried out the operation. The illicit substance was discovered inside a container scheduled for export.

Last Friday, officials also seized 1,506 packages of drugs in another container destined for Lithuania.

While authorities have not specified the type or exact weight of the seized substance, drug packages in Panama typically weigh around one kilogram each, and cocaine remains the most commonly confiscated narcotic in the country.

So far this year, Panamanian authorities have reported multiple drug seizures. Among them was a shipment of 5,356 packages intercepted on January 17, when agents of the National Aeronaval Service (SENAN) stopped a vessel near the Pearl Islands archipelago in the Pacific.

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According to official figures, in 2025 Panama seized 129 tons of drugs and 47.8 tons of chemical precursors, highlighting ongoing efforts to combat international drug trafficking.

Central America

Guatemala narrows emergency measures to hardest-hit gang violence areas

The government of Guatemala has narrowed the scope of its state of emergency to the areas most affected by gang violence, Interior Minister Marco Antonio Villeda announced on Thursday.

The measure comes two months after coordinated attacks attributed to the Barrio 18 left 11 police officers dead.

President Bernardo Arévalo initially imposed a state of siege in mid-January following the violence, which was reportedly in retaliation for government intervention in three prisons where gang leaders had staged uprisings.

That measure, which allowed arrests without a warrant, expired after one month. It was then replaced by a less restrictive “state of prevention,” alongside an increased security deployment in Guatemala City and surrounding areas.

According to Villeda, the state of prevention has been extended for two additional weeks but will now apply primarily to the central department of Guatemala — home to the capital — and Escuintla, which have recorded the highest levels of homicides and criminal activity.

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“We need to continue these joint operations between the police and the military to maintain control,” the minister said.

The measure will also remain in effect in border departments including Petén, San Marcos and Huehuetenango, which border Mexico, as well as Izabal, which borders Honduras and Belize, in an effort to prevent the entry of criminal groups linked to drug trafficking.

Villeda added that in the past two weeks, homicides have dropped by 25% and extortion cases by 33% compared to the same period in 2025.