Costa Rica Judicial Budget Cut Strains Narcotics Prosecution
Constitutional Court magistrate Jorge Araya challenged a ₡23.7 billion (US$52m) reduction to the judicial budget, warning that it would weaken the courts’ ability to confront organised crime and drug trafficking, as they process 24 pending extradition cases, including 20 US requests.
ASSESSMENT: The funding cut comes as courts face record narcotics extradition caseloads and amid deepening tensions between the executive and judiciary, reinforcing concerns over both enforcement capacity and the separation of powers.
OAS Convenes Extraordinary Session on Nicaragua Election Cancellation
The OAS Permanent Council voted to convene an extraordinary session of regional foreign ministers following President Daniel Ortega's July announcement that Nicaragua would no longer hold elections. The session represents a formal response to the suspension of democratic processes in a member state.
ASSESSMENT: The extraordinary session will reveal whether OAS member states will translate condemnation into coordinated diplomatic or economic pressure on Nicaragua.
US Congress Revises NICA Act to Expand Nicaragua Sanctions
A revised NICA Act introduced in the US Congress proposes expanded sanctions on Nicaragua’s gold sector and military, while its sponsors acknowledge that previous sanctions have failed to constrain the Ortega-Murillo government.
ASSESSMENT: Although previous rounds of sanctions have not had any moderating effect on the Ortega-Murillo regime, Nicaragua is vulnerable to economic pressure if Washington decides to use all of the tools in its arsenal, such as suspending Managua's membership of the CAFTA-DR trade deal.
Retail Drug Wars Spread Across Guatemala’s Departments
Criminal gangs are fighting for control of retail drug distribution across Guatemala's departments using armed attacks to seize territory previously dominated by transit-focused trafficking groups.
ASSESSMENT: The shift from transit trafficking to contested local retail markets is spreading armed competition into more parts of Guatemala, increasing security risks for municipal authorities, businesses and communities while stretching already limited enforcement capacity.
Honduras Attacks on Journalists Rise 19.6 Percent During Elections
Attacks on journalists and human rights defenders in Honduras rose 19.6% during the 2025 electoral period compared to 2024, with press freedom group C-Libre documenting 235 alerts and 11 journalist murders over two years. Some 86.6% of these attacks remain unpunished, even where victims held formal protection measures.
ASSESSMENT: Persistent impunity for attacks on journalists and rights defenders weakens independent scrutiny of elections and government conduct, increasing governance risks ahead of Honduras’s next political cycle.