March 3, 2016 marked a sad day for activist of human rights, indigenous peoples’ rights and environmental activists. Berta Cáceres, a well-known Honduran activist, was killed[1] at home in the early hours of that Thursday morning. Cáceres fought on many fronts, including human rights, indigenous peoples and the environment, and for this reason, she lived as a target.
The State Department this month determined that Mexico had not made sufficient progress in working towards its human rights goals, consequently withholding fifteen percent—or $5 million—of its aid to security forces under the Mérida Initiative. In order to grant this portion of funding to the Mexican government, the State Department is required to submit a report to Congress outlining specific steps Mexico has taken to improve its human rights record.
“Let me just tell you,” trumpeted Donald Trump at the Republican presidential debate in November, “that Dwight Eisenhower—good president, great president; people liked him. ‘I Like Ike,’ right? The expression ‘I Like Ike’—moved a million and a half illegal immigrants out of this country. Moved them just beyond the border. They came back. Moved them again, beyond the border. They came back. Didn’t like it. Moved them way south. They never came back.”1
—¡Pónchale las llantas, pónchale las llantas!— se escucha el grito desesperado de una mujer, mientras en el video se ve como un grupo de policías huyen de la escena donde, minutos después, se aprecia como un grupo de sicarios saca a un hombre de una casa. ¡Bam, bam, bam! Se alcanza a escuchar el tronido de las armas automáticas seguido del grito adolorido de la misma mujer. Otro asesinato más.
