Latin America: Week in Review, Mexico, United States
Mexican Army Unit Involved in Killings Has a Controversial Record
September 29, 2014 By Staff
Top Story – The Mexican Defense Department has arrested seven soldiers and an army officer as part of an investigation into the alleged massacre of 22 people in San Pedro Limón in June.
Those arrested were members of the 102nd Infantry Battalion of the 22nd Military Zone in Mexico State, which has a long history of violent incidents and controversy, reported The Associated Press.
Last December, members of the 102nd shot four civilians in the town of Arcelia, Guerrero state, mistaking them for criminals. A corporal, sergeant and two soldiers were arrested in connection with the shooting.
In February 2012, the newspaper Reforma reported that six members of the battalion, including two officers, had been arrested for taking money from La Familia cartel in exchange for information on the cartel’s rivals.
Mexico’s armed forces and police have frequently been accused of human rights abuses and of cooperating with organized crime groups.
Headlines from the Western Hemisphere
North America
- Six people were killed Saturday in the Mexico’s Guerrero state, prompting the arrest of 22 local police officers. The violence started in a clash between police and protesting students, when police gunfire killed two protesters.
- U.S. President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act has succeeded in reducing the number of uninsured Latinos from 36 to 23 percent, according to a survey by The Commonwealth Fund.
Caribbean
- Cuba has sentenced Canadian businessman Cy Tokmakjian to 15 years in prison on corruption charges related to dealings with both Western diplomats and business executives.
- Some 15 police officers were posted outside the home of former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, generating speculation that the ex-president might be facing arrest.
- Cuba’s government hopes that the country’s sugar industry will become its main source of clean energy. The industry currently accounts for 3.5 percent of electricity generation on the island.
Central America
- NPR recently profiled Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega and his influential wife, first lady Rosario Murillo.
- Intimidation and violence against journalists continues in Honduras, amidst rampant corruption and gang activity.
Andes
- Authorities in Peru arrested two loggers suspected of killing four prominent environmental activists.
- A top Colombian negotiator in the country’s peace talks with Marxist rebels said his email and cellphone were hacked in an attempt to “sabotage” the negotiations.
- Mexican and Peruvian scientists have found a Machu Picchu arboreal chinchilla, a cat-size rat that was believed to have gone extinct more than 400 years ago.
Southern Cone
- Brazilian presidential candidate Marina Silva continues to enchant foreign media, most recently in a profile by BBC News.
- Evangelical Christians are gaining political influence in Brazil as their numbers rise.
- Tensions mount in Buenos Aires with regards to city planning efforts.
Image: Youtube
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