Central America

15

January

🌎✊ 2025 Delegación a El Salvador/ Delegation to El Salvador

January 15, 2026 Evelyn Andrade Action Alerts, Central America, Delegations, Edu. Central America Delegation , El Salvador

Durante una semana, delegades acompañaron a comunidades, organizaciones sociales y defensoras de derechos humanos en El Salvador, aprendiendo sobre el contexto nacional, la memoria histórica y las luchas actuales por la justicia y la dignidad.

La delegación participó en análisis del contexto nacional, visitó comunidades y organizaciones como PRO-VIDA, CRIPDES y Tutela Legal, y recorrió espacios históricos como la Catedral Metropolitana, la Cripta de Monseñor Romero y el Parque Cuscatlán.

Uno de los momentos más significativos fue el acompañamiento a la conmemoración de la Masacre de El Mozote en Morazán, junto a sobrevivientes, organizaciones de derechos humanos y comunidades comprometidas con la memoria, la verdad y la justicia.

Lea las reflexiones de los delegades aquí

For one week, delegates accompanied communities, grassroots organizations, and human rights defenders in El Salvador, learning about the national context, historical memory, and ongoing struggles for justice and dignity.

The delegation took part in political and social analysis, visited organizations such as PRO-VIDA, CRIPDES, and Tutela Legal, and walked through key historical sites including the Metropolitan Cathedral, Monsignor Romero’s Crypt, and Cuscatlán Park.

One of the most powerful moments was accompanying the commemoration of the El Mozote Massacre in Morazán, alongside survivors, human rights organizations, and communities committed to memory, truth, and justice.

Read the delegates’ reflections here

16

October

Sebastián Torogóz from El Salvador

October 16, 2025 Evelyn Andrade Biographies, Central America El Salvador

Benito Chica Argueta, better known as Sebastián Torogóz, was born in the rural Cantón El Zapotal in Joateca, Morazán, El Salvador. He was the fourteenth child of his parents, Francisco Chica and Cástula Argueta. From an early age, around nine, he began playing guitar at home; his siblings were part of a chanchona (a rural string ensemble) that performed at family celebrations and community events. In his youth, Sebastián joined community Christian reflection groups (which later became part of the Comunidades Eclesiales de Base) in El Zapotal. There he participated in courses on first aid and community health, blending spiritual reflection with social praxis. In 1978, he formally joined the armed struggle via the Ligas Populares 28 de Febrero (which later became part of the ERP). In June 1981, Sebastián and fellow combatants founded Los Torogoces de Morazán, the musical group that became closely associated with Radio Venceremos and the cultural resistance during the Salvadoran war.

During the twelve years of war, Los Torogoces acted as “juglares¨ troubadours of resistance, traveling through conflict zones, performing songs, sharing stories, and offering laughter in the face of adversity. Sebastián employed music, storytelling, and theatrical satire, often impersonating figures of the elite or military, as a tool to challenge authoritarian power and uplift communities under duress.

After the signing of the peace accords, he reassembled the group with younger generations and continued touring both nationally and internationally. Among his notable works are corridos like Recordando al Profeta (in tribute to Oscar Romero) and Corrido al Mozote, honoring victims of the Mozote massacre. He has also actively engaged in memory work—publishing, performing, and organizing events that resist silencing of El Salvador’s violent past.

Sebastián’s artistry is deeply rooted in the folk traditions of Morazán and El Salvador’s eastern region, combining instruments such as harp, marimba, and strings with narrative lyrics that document struggle, identity, and resilience. His music remains informed by a liberation perspective that insists on the importance of collective memory, social justice, and cultural reclaiming. In recent years, he continues to mentor youth, organize concerts, and deliver talks that bridge El Salvador’s past and present struggles, deepening transnational solidarity and cultivating new generations of cultural and political memory keepers.

6

June

Support and Learn about our Human Rights Delegation Collaboration with Chicago’s Guatemala Community Leaders

June 6, 2024 Jhonathan F. Gómez Action Alerts, Central America

Support and Learn about our Human Rights Delegation Collaboration with Chicago’s Guatemala Community Leaders

Donate and Learn More, Click Here

We are happy to announce our collaboration with a group of activists and community leaders from the Guatemala diaspora in Chicago. The Maya Ixil Accompaniment Project is a Human Rights delegation to Guatemala, scheduled for July 3rd to 12th, 2024.

The primary goal of this delegation is to provide in-person accompaniment to the Maya Ixil community, whose witnesses and survivors of Genocide will testify during the hearings of the historic Genocide trial for the government period of Fernando Romeo Lucas García from July 1978 to March 1982. The trial, which began in March 2024, represents an important moment in the struggle for justice and accountability. As International Human Rights Accompaniers, the delegation will also document their experiences and engage with other human rights defenders, community and Human Rights organizations in Guatemala.

This project reflects the beautiful, diverse and complex identities of its members, who come from various backgrounds, including Mayan, Mestizo, Latine, Queer, and multiracial communities. The range of identities fosters a deep and nuanced understanding of the cultural and historical contexts in which they operate. This ongoing reflection process acknowledges the structures of oppression and white supremacy that people exist within, while consciously striving to dismantle them. The delegation members are Evelyn Zepeda, Kiara Rivera, David Hollinger, Chris Guzaro, Josue Sican and Jhonathan Gómez

In collaboration with CRLN, the project partners in Guatemala are the Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA) and Asociación para la Justicia y la Reconciliación (AJR). This collaboration is made possible through the efforts of our sister organization NISGUA and the tireless work of the AJR, who have tirelessly worked to bring to justice those who committed Crimes Against Humanity and Genocide.

Before we depart for Guatemala, the project needs your help to raise funds to cover travel, accommodations, and other necessary expenses. The delegation members are starting their grassroots fundraising efforts for this project, and your financial support is crucial to ensure the success of this important work.

Read the AJR’s February 2024 case report below or click here.

Please consider donating to support the delegation as we stand in solidarity with the Maya Ixil community and advocate for justice and accountability.

Click here to donate through Venmo.

En resistencia y solidaridad permanente

Jhonathan F. Gómez

3

June

Thank You for Standing in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador

June 3, 2024 Jhonathan F. Gómez Action Alerts, Central America

Photos by Jhonathan F. Gómez

Friends of CRLN,

We extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who attended the action on Friday, May 31, at the Consulate. Your participation in this action and your support of the statement echoed the critical demands of human rights organizations in El Salvador. Civil society and human rights advocates have repeatedly highlighted the authoritarian and repressive nature of President Nayib Bukele’s government.

Our action was part of a coordinated effort involving groups and organizations from various cities across the United States and around the world. We were very glad to have partner and supported the diaspora community of El Salvador in Chicago, Alma de Izote collective, Cipotex de Chicago collective and other groups and organizations. We also thank our sister organizations in St. Louis, Missouri, Denver, Colorado, and Cleveland, Ohio who supported the action from their communities.

These demonstrations at embassies and consulates aimed to denounce the unconstitutional and illegitimate re-election of President Nayib Bukele in El Salvador. Your involvement helped amplify this message on a global scale.

People around the world have called for an end to human rights abuses and the restoration of democracy in El Salvador, underscoring the international concern for the country’s deteriorating political situation. This widespread support highlights the critical need for global solidarity in addressing these urgent issues. Please see the updated statement document below or CLICK HERE.

We stand resolutely with the people of El Salvador who REJECT AND REFUSE TO RECOGNIZE the Bukele regime. Together, we will continue to fight for justice, democracy, and human rights.

En resistencia y solidaridad permanente

Jhonathan F. Gómez
Co-Director

To see more photos CLICK HERE.

31

October

Blanca Esmeralda Valladares

October 31, 2023 Evelyn Andrade Central America, Honduras Honduras , Human Rights , Red Comal

Blanca Esmeralda Valladares, a native of Santa Cruz de Jojoa in the department of Cortés, Honduras. She is married to Lawyer Juan Angel Rivera Tabora, and they have two children: Louisiana and Lee Rivera Valladares, both of whom are doctors.

Mrs. Valladares is a Notary and Lawyer, and she is a member of the Bar Association of Honduras. Her educational background includes studies at the National Autonomous University of Honduras (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras, UNAH). Early in her career as an independent lawyer, she dedicated herself to supporting farmworkers and advocating for the human rights of Indigenous people.

In collaboration with the Catholic Church of the Department of Yoro, she co-founded the organization “El Socorro Jurídico Vicarial,” an institution committed to defending, promoting, and protecting human rights, with a primary focus on safeguarding the rights to land and water for agricultural purposes, as well as the preservation of Honduras’ natural resources.

In 1994, she assumed the role of a Judge of the Supreme Court of Justice of Honduras and served two terms. In 2002, she made the decision to leave her judicial position to continue her work as an independent lawyer, with a particular emphasis on providing legal support within the Reflection, Research, and Communication Team of the Society of Jesus (Equipo de Reflexión, Investigación y Comunicación, de la Compañía de Jesús, ERIC).

Over the past six years, she has been an active volunteer at the community radio station RADIO PAIS, focusing on family and educational content. In her capacity as a lawyer, she is dedicated to ensuring that the Right to Justice is not only a concept but a practical reality in Honduras. She recognizes that the pursuit of Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights is an ongoing and formidable challenge.

Serving as an advisor and board member of the Alternative Community Marketing Network (Red de Comercialización Comunitaria Alternativa, RED COMAL), she ardently advocates for the human rights of farmworkers, indigenous communities, and women. Blanca actively promotes their work and campaigns, which they have been diligently pursuing for over thirty years, in support of food production through sustainable agriculture and ecological practices, emphasizing respect for the land and human well-being.

4

July

Report & Reflections on Congressional Delegation to Honduras and Guatemala

July 4, 2022 Marilyn McKenna Central America

by Jhonathan F. Gómez

From the 19th to the 27th of March of 2022, I had the unique opportunity to participate in a historic delegation to Honduras and Guatemala. Witness for Peace Solidarity Collective in collaboration with SOA Watch, CISPES and NISGUA organized the trip with the goal to take progressive Congressional Representatives to meet and learn from human rights defenders of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. This trip has marked my work in the Latin América program. You can read my full report below:

CODEL-2022-Report-FINAL-1 Download

10

November

Statement by the Honduras Solidarity Network on the upcoming General Elections

November 10, 2021 Jhonathan F. Gómez Action Alerts, Central America, Honduras

[Comunicado en español después del ingles]

Download the statement in English here. | Descargue el comunicado en español aquí.

#EyesOnHonduras
CRLN is a member of the Honduras Solidarity Network and are committed to the work for justice with the people of Honduras. We are concerned on the increased violence happening now prior to the elections and commit to keep our eyes on the elections. Below is the statement by the solidarity network.

CRLN es miembrx de la Red de Solidaridad de Honduras y estamos comprometidxs con el trabajo por la justicia con el pueblo de hondureño. Estamos preocupadxs por la violencia que esta sucediendo ahora antes de las elecciones y nos comprometemos a mantener la mirada en las elecciones. Adjunto el comunicado de la red de solidaridad.

15

June

Take action! International support for integrity of Honduran court

June 15, 2021 Claudia Lucero Action Alerts, Central America

CRLN participated in a meeting called by COPINH, the organization founded by the slain Indigenous environmental activist and feminist Berta Caceres. They are calling for urgent international support, as evidence linking powerful members of Honduran society to Berta’s murder has emerged in the trial of David Castillo, one of the people accused of planning the assassination. The family has always contended that there were other intellectual authors of the murder. In retaliation, there has been a media campaign linking Berta Caceres and COPINH with criminal activities and putting pressure on the court to return a “not guilty” verdict against Castillo and to keep the others from ever having a case brought to court.

Please read the urgent action alert from the Honduras Solidarity Network and send the letter, which is the written text after the graphic, by scrolling to the bottom and entering your information. Spanish text follows the English text. You can find the action alert by clicking here.

19

May

New action in solidarity with victims of forced disappearance

May 19, 2021 Claudia Lucero Action Alerts, Central America

On July 18, 2020, 4 Garifuna men from Triunfo de la Cruz and a guest of the community were forcibly disappeared by men wearing Honduran Investigative Police Directorate vests. Their families have sought justice from the state but are unsatisfied with the lack of progress in the investigation and the contempt shown for their rights by the investigators.

Yesterday, the Black Fraternal Organization of Honduras (OFRANEH) sponsored a webinar calling for a new action from the international community: demand that the Honduran state incorporate the Committee for the Search and Investigation of the Disappeared of Triunfo de la Cruz (SUNLA) and any external experts it calls into the investigative process. SUNLA was formed at the request of the affected families and approved by the Assembly of the Garifuna people. Click here to read the letter to Honduran officials and sign on.

Aua Balde, member of the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, explained that international law gives families of those forcibly disappeared the right to information from the state from its investigation of the crime. The Honduran state has failed to share information with the Garifuna families. International law also gives families the right to appoint other investigators if they are not satisfied with the state’s investigation and obligates the state to work with and assist these alternative investigators.

OFRANEH believes the men were disappeared because of their successful appeal to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) to rule on the state seizure of their land and forcible displacement of the Garifuna owners of that land in order to grant concessions to resort companies to build seaside hotels. The Court found in favor of the Garifuna in a ruling that directed the state to issue reparations and refrain from further forcible displacements and land seizures.

CRLN issued an action alert last July to its email list and signed onto a letter along with 221 other organizations demanding information of the whereabouts of the disappeared men, that the Honduran state comply with requests from the IACHR regarding information about the state investigation into their disappearance, compliance with the previous IACHR rulings about reparations, and protection for the family members and Garifuna communities at risk.

30

March

Freedom for Guapinol Water Protectors!

March 30, 2021 Claudia Lucero Action Alerts, Central America

CRLN is a member of the Honduras Solidarity Network, a network of 30 North American groups formed after the 2009 coup d’etat in Honduras in solidarity with a broad array of social movements and citizens opposed to the subsequent regime and seeking greater social justice and democracy.

We ask you to support the international campaign against the criminalization of 8 Honduran citizens, now in jail for peacefully protesting the concession illegally given to a mining company to extract iron ore from the Carlos Escaleras National Park–the primary source of water for many of the surrounding communities. Please click on the link below

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