Costa Rican president signals openness to domestic US military operations

Ao vivo Clique aqui para pesquisar Inscreva-se Menu de navegação caret-left caret-right Notícias|Crime Presidente costarriquenho sinaliza abertura a operações militares domésticas dos EUA A presidente Laura Fernandez observa que o Congresso da Costa Rica precisaria aprovar qualquer operação militar dos EUA dentro do país.

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But she added caveats. In an interview published on Friday, Fernandez emphasised to the news service Reuters that such measures would require approval from the national legislature.

She also added there were no plans in the works for US forces to operate in the country.

Fernandez succeeded her mentor, former President Rodrigo Chaves, after a February election in which concerns about security and rising violence in the Central American country played a prominent role.

Though she ran on a tough-on-crime platform, Fernandez has said that she is not currently considering a state of emergency to address the problem.

Tais declarações de emergência normalmente suspendem direitos constitucionais fundamentais, em favor de conceder à polícia ou às forças armadas poderes adicionais para reprimir a violência.

That model has been popularised under the right-wing president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele.

But critics point out that the states of emergency are meant to be short-term measures, not permanent ones. El Salvador has been under an emergency declaration since 2022, with the government extending it dozens of times.

Crime has become a top voter concern in Costa Rica. The Central American country’s homicide rate has doubled in the last decade, reaching 17. 2 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2023.

That figure still places the country’s average well below many others in the region, but the change, partly attributed to increased drug trafficking activity, has startled many residents.

Os comentários de Fernandez também refletem a crescente pressão dos EUA para reduzir o crime em todo o Hemisfério Ocidental.

Desde que retornou ao cargo para um segundo mandato, o presidente dos EUA Donald Trump tem impulsionado a expansão da influência de seu país na América Latina, notavelmente por meio de engajamentos militares.

No início deste ano, ele lançou o “Escudo das Américas”, também conhecido como Coalizão de Contra-Cartéis das Américas (ACCC), para reunir líderes de direita em toda a região e combater o tráfico de drogas.

Trump used the inaugural meeting to encourage Latin American governments to embrace a military-driven approach to crime, despite concerns about human rights.

He has also carried out and threatened military operations in sovereign countries, on the premise of combatting crime.

Some countries, such as Mexico, have baulked at the prospect of US military forces carrying out operations on their territory. Critics point to Washington’s long record of interventions and rights abuses in the region.

Mas outros países têm sido mais receptivos. Forças americanas, por exemplo, realizaram recentemente operações militares com o governo de direita do Equador, na tentativa de reduzir as taxas de criminalidade.

Ecuador’s armed forces, however, have been accused of crimes such as torture and enforced disappearance, abuses that experts warn could be worsened by support from the US.

A July report from Human Rights Watch warns that the military collaboration between Ecuador and the US has already had dire consequences.

Ecuadorian fishermen have reported facing attacks at sea, and in one case, Ecuadorian soldiers allegedly detained and tortured four Colombian farm workers, using methods such as mock executions, beatings and electric shocks.

Esse incidente teria ocorrido durante uma operação perto da fronteira realizada com apoio dos EUA.

Those raids come after Ecuadorian voters rejected a referendum last year that would have allowed foreign countries to set up military bases in the country.