Arbitrary homicides, torture, “inhumane” prison conditions, and forced disappearances, among other significant human rights problems, remained in 2022 in countries like Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala, revealed an annual report published Monday by the State Department. from United States.
In El Salvador, for example, it is noted that since the implementation of the state of emergency, numerous arbitrary arrests, home invasions, unfair proceedings, and deaths of detainees after making a statement to the authorities have been reported. More than 52,000 people were arrested in the first six months of the state of emergency, “leading to allegations of overpopulation and inhumane treatment in prisons.”
The US highlighted that “impunity persisted in the security forces, other executive branch offices, and the justice system” in El Salvador. “There were reports that the government or its agents committed arbitrary or unlawful killings, largely stemming from the deaths of detainees while in prison during the state of emergency,” the document reads. The National Civil Police (PNC) reported at the time that until August no police officer in El Salvador had been accused of homicide.
On August 22, the Human Rights Ombudsman reported having received more than 400 complaints of possible abuses during the state of emergency.
The report reviews the human rights situation in 198 countries and territories around the world with information collected by State Department employees as well as members of special missions.
“Numerous abuses” in Nicaragua, “draconian” sentences in Cuba
In Nicaragua, the US government highlighted “numerous abuses” by security forces, as well as degrading treatment by prison guards, life-threatening prison conditions, and transnational repression against people located in other countries.
“The government took no steps to identify, investigate, prosecute or punish officials who committed human rights abuses, including those responsible for at least 355 murders and hundreds of disappearances during the 2018 pro-democracy uprising. The government it did not address cases of widespread corruption. President [Daniel] Ortega reinforced the impunity of the human rights violators who were loyal to him”, the report abounds.
During the announcement of the report’s publication, Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State, noted that the document “makes an objective and rigorous account of human rights conditions around the world.” Among the countries with regression in human rights conditions, he mentioned that “in Nicaragua, the authoritarian government continues to detain political prisoners and keep them in terrible prison conditions” and in “Cuba the courts have handed down draconian prison sentences to hundreds of people for protesting for their rights”.
In Cuba, unlike in 2021, there were no confirmed reports of prolonged disappearances by government authorities, but unlawful executions, torture, and problems with the independence of the judiciary remained.
Corruption in Venezuela, Honduras and Guatemala
On the other hand, in Venezuela, reports of abuses committed by members of the security forces continued, including illegal and arbitrary murders. “The Maduro regime did not take any effective measures to identify, investigate, prosecute, or meaningfully punish officials who may have committed human rights abuses or engaged in acts of corruption,” the document reads.
Non-governmental organizations in Venezuela registered 485 extrajudicial executions in the context of security operations or protests in the first half of 2022.
Given the growing migration of Venezuelans out of the country, the State highlighted that the continuous border closures meant that citizens “had no choice but to use informal border crossings that were largely controlled by illegal armed groups.”
In Honduras and Guatemala, the State highlighted the presence of corruption and the lack of investigation into gender violence, as well as against indigenous groups. Although arbitrary killings by government agents were reported in Honduras, in Guatemala it was not possible to confirm said information. Still, activists were reportedly killed under “suspicious conditions” while corrupt police officers were involved with violent criminal organizations.
Costa Rica was the only country in Latin America where there were no reports of significant human rights abuses, however there were reports of isolated cases in which abuses were committed by members of the security forces.
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