Central America

Costa Rican Tribe's Traditional Medicines Get A Modern Media Makeover

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 20:25:00 +0000

When the Terraba tribe in Costa Rica rallied to oppose a hydroelectric dam they feared would destroy their land and their centuries-old culture, the indigenous community took a modern approach.

They linked up with journalism students at Elon University in North Carolina, who built a website describing the tribe's way of life,

Violence Exposes Crisis In Latin American Prisons

Jason Beaubien — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 20:52:00 +0000

A series of fatal riots inside Mexican prisons last week and a deadly blaze at a penitentiary in Honduras are prompting calls for major penal reform in Central America.

Violence at three different penitentiaries in Mexico last week left 48 inmates dead, while the inferno in Honduras earlier this month killed 360 prisoners.

These deadly events underscore the problems of corruption, overcrowding, prison gangs and crumbling infrastructure that prisons face throughout the region.

The recent television images from Mexico and Honduras were strikingly similar, showing women clashing with polic

Honduras Says Deadly Prison Fire Started By Cigarette

Eyder Peralta — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 23:22:00 +0000

Honduran officials said last week's prison fire that killed 360 was started by accident, when an inmate fell asleep with a lit cigarette.

Honduras Prison Fire: Most In Comayagua Jail Had Not Been Convicted

Eyder Peralta — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 12:22:00 +0000

According to an internal government report sent to the United Nations and seen by the Associated Press, more than half the prisoners at the Comayagua jail in Honduras had not been convicted.

A late night fire on Tuesday, killed at least 356 people and left the country in mourning and the government grappling with a prison system that has long been criticized for its deplorable conditions.

The Guardian reports that Comayagua had about 800 inmates in a facility that was bui

Prison Fire Kills More Than 200 Inmates In Honduras

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 12:25:00 +0000

A fire that swept through a prison in Honduras overnight has resulted in death of more than 300 people.

The AP reports that number was given by Lucy Marder, chief of forensic medicine for the prosecutors' office, during a press conference.

La Prensa, the largest daily in Honduras, reports the fire started at about 10:50 p.m.