PRESS REVIEW OF THE AMERICAS

Headlines: attacks by criminal groups in northeastern Brazil

A charred bus blocks a street amid riots in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte state, Brazil, Tuesday, March 14, 2023. © AP Photo/Ney Douglas

Text by: Christophe Paget Follow

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In the early hours of Thursday morning, several municipalities were once again targeted by criminals. " writes Folha de São Paulo, and it's been three nights in this state of Rio Grande do Norte. More than thirty cities were targeted. "The fires of tire depots, cars and buses, agricultural machinery and school transport have not been prevented," despite, says Estadao de São Paulo, the arrival Wednesday "of some of the 220 men of the National Force promised Tuesday by the Ministry of Justice". In neighboring states, some cities, fearing that the attacks would affect them, have decided to close schools, writes O Globo. "Public security is the responsibility of the states," Estadao de São Paulo reminds us, "but none of them has the resources to deal with organizations that, within the framework of accelerated nationalization and internationalization, branch out in a sophisticated way through various spheres of civil society, markets and the state."

The orders, according to Estadão, would come from the Rogerio Coutinho Madruga State Penitentiary, in Greater Natal, where one of the founders of the criminal organization, the Crime Syndicate, is serving a prison sentence. A message circulating on WhatsApp, writes the newspaper, "allegedly issued by the Syndicate, 'justifies' savagery as a reaction to 'degrading' detention conditions," and calls for their improvement. According to Estadão, the group offered 5,000 reals per person, or 900 euros, to encourage the attacks. Attacks that, recalls O Globo, have already occurred in São Paulo in 2006, in Cerea in 2019, in Manaus in 2021. "Governments follow one another and the problem is not solved," laments the daily. The problem comes from prisons, Estadão argues, prisons that "in recent decades have become real incubators of crime": "Every year, crowds of poor devils are sent to these 'medieval dungeons' and, after following the rituals of the crime academy, are reinjected into society in legions that are more resentful, more violent and more organized. Instead of reintegrating criminals into society, prisons subject society to crime."

Former head of prosecutor's office for human rights cases arrested in Guatemala

In Guatemala, the former head of the Ministry of Justice's human rights prosecutor's office, Orlando Lopez, was arrested in his home, writes La Republica. The former prosecutor is accused, says La Hora, of abuse of authority, and of having carried out "illegal actions", for example having started working as a lawyer before resigning from the ministry.

Prensa Libre recalls that it was Orlando Lopez who obtained the conviction of former dictator Efrain Rios Montt, who ruled the country from 1982 to 1983, the bloodiest period of the civil war. The daily recalls that the Foundation against terrorism, which prosecutes the former prosecutor, was created precisely to help retired military personnel suspected of crimes against humanity during this period. And it has been accused of persecuting judges, magistrates, prosecutors and justice operators who have distinguished themselves in the fight against corruption, forcing some into exile.

New aid for a US bank

In the United States, eleven American banks are paying a total of $ 30 billion in deposits in the troubled institution First Republic, after the failures of Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank and Silvergate.

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Another help for the banking sector ", headlines the Boston Globe, same thing on the front page of the Wall Street Journal: "Bigger banks act to help the First Republic", or the Financial Times: "Banks try to reassure investors and regulators after withdrawal of deposits". The Wall Street Journal speaks of an "extraordinary effort to protect the entire banking system from a widespread panic", noting that these are not, as in the 2008 crisis, banks buying others. But this decision, according to the newspaper, "may not help allay fears about the risks incurred by smaller banks": "the big banks cannot systematically help those who are in difficulty". The Washington Post, for its part, reviews the federal aid that preceded that of the banks, and points out "the irony of hearing tech figures, after years of complaining about the government that it is the problem, suddenly calling for massive federal intervention." For the newspaper, "if the banks want federal aid, they must accept federal regulation."

In Haiti, the Wahoo Bay Beach resort attacked and vandalized

On Wednesday evening, writes Le Nouvelliste, "armed individuals invaded one of the oldest beach hotels in the country, Wahoo Bay, located on the Côte des Arcadins (...): the thugs intimidated employees, ransacked facilities and took away equipment", kitchen equipment and beds, among others. The looters, the newspaper reported, left around two o'clock in the morning, when two police tanks arrived. According to the president of the Tourism Association of Haiti, Raina Forbin, "for several months individuals have been making threats against hotel owners and individuals in the country's main tourist area," and "the authorities were warned." And Raina Forbin believes that "it will be difficult to attract investors to this area, during a possible recovery of the economy, if this problem is not solved".

The National for its part reports a "gradual resumption of school activities despite the persistence of insecurity". In Port-au-Prince, "after several days of closure due to the progression of banditry in the city center, schools have timidly reopened their doors," writes the newspaper. Who notes that "further away, areas like Bel-Air, Bas-Delmas, Sans-Fil are almost infrequent because of the brutal incursions of thugs. Also, the students of the Anténor Firmin high school showed their discontent after individuals kidnapped two of their teachers." High school students who ask the Ministry of Education to act to "guarantee their right to education".

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  • Press Review of the Americas
  • Press review
  • Brazil
  • Guatemala
  • United States
  • Haiti

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