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News Article

The article by Salvador Meléndez and María Teresa Hernández in the Associated Press on August 1, 2024, highlights the annual pilgrimage in El Salvador to honor Saint Oscar Romero, who was canonized in 2018. Thousands of pilgrims travel 160 kilometers from San Salvador to Ciudad Barrios, where Romero was born. Romero, beloved for his advocacy for the poor and working class and his opposition to military repression, was assassinated in 1980. The pilgrimage, which started in 2017, aims to unite his birthplace with his burial site. Participants, inspired by Romero's legacy, engage in prayer, cultural activities, and celebrations. This year's pilgrimage marks the 500th anniversary of Christianity's arrival in El Salvador and emphasizes the enduring influence of Romero, especially amidst the current government's harsh crackdown on gangs and human rights violations.

News Article

On their small island of Isla El Espíritu Santo, residents live relatively isolated from the mainland and rely on income from coconut crops. That’s why it’s been dubbed "Coconut Island." Their peaceful existence was shaken, however, when President Nayib Bukele announced his State of Exception in March 2022. His government began to target the islanders through arbitrary arrests.

Over a period of one year, 25 islanders were arbitrarily arrested without proper warrants and accused of criminal activities, even though the island has not historically experienced gang violence.

***Attend the Summer Solidarity Social on August 9 in Cleveland, Ohio, with guest speaker Leslie Schuld from the CIS in El Salvador

See an info/take action flyer about the Free the Innocents campaign at https://www.irtfcleveland.org/sites/default/files/flyers/state_of_exception_-_free_the_innocents_of_isla_espiritu_santo_-_el_salvador_-_08.01.24_0.pdf

News Article

We fight for a better deal for farmers, workers and the environment through a unique pricing model, rigorous standards and a global support network committed to making ethical trade the norm.

We do not grow bananas in the United States (save the odd local varieties you may find in Hawaii or Puerto Rico). During the four weeks between when a banana is picked to when it is purchased, it travels thousands of miles to get to US grocery stores. So how do they still cost less than apples that are grown locally?

There is no such thing as a cheap product. Somewhere, someone in the supply chain is paying for it—whether that is us, the end consumer, or the farmer, who may be forced by the market into unfair and unsustainable deals. There is always a cost. In the case of bananas, the costs of conventional (non-fair trade certified and non-organic) banana farming are many:

  • Poverty
  • Underpayment
  • Health & safety risks
  • Soil depletion
  • Water shortages
News Article

Juan Carlos Bonilla Valladares, also known as "El Tigre," the former chief of the Honduran National Police, has been sentenced to 19 years in prison for his role in a conspiracy to protect cocaine shipments bound for the United States. Prosecutors described him as facilitating large-scale cocaine trafficking and using violence, including murder, to safeguard drug operations. Despite his defense's plea for a 10-year sentence citing occasional lawful actions and health concerns, the judge imposed a 19-year term in Manhattan federal court. Bonilla Valladares' conviction is part of broader scrutiny of corruption within Honduran institutions, implicating high-profile figures including former President Juan Orlando Hernández and his brother Tony Hernández.

News Article

The article by Jeff Abbott in The Progressive discusses the forced exile of Lilian Virginia Laparra Rivas, a former anti-corruption prosecutor in Guatemala, due to political persecution. Laparra Rivas, who worked with the Special Prosecutor’s Office Against Impunity (FECI), joins several others who have been exiled since 2021. She was convicted twice—once in December 2022 and again in July 2024—for her anti-corruption work, with Amnesty International labeling her a prisoner of conscience.

The article highlights the broader context of political persecution in Guatemala, noting that other figures, such as journalist José Rubén Zamora, have also faced severe repression. Zamora, in pre-trial detention for over 700 days, has reportedly been subjected to torture and unsanitary conditions.

The current situation underscores the challenges faced by President Bernardo Arévalo, who has struggled to address the judicial branch's corruption, particularly under Attorney General María Consuelo Porras. Despite attempts to remove Porras and reform the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the administration has yet to succeed, and human rights in Guatemala remain at risk.

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