Stories about Spanish from February, 2016
Colombia Edges Closer to Signing Peace Agreement
The final and hopefully definitive phase of a peace process is underway and the Colombian government is preparing for post-conflict reconciliation with its new plan “Peace for Colombia.”
Efforts Continue to Free Indigenous Activist and Ex-Director of Community Police in Mexico
Thirty months after Nestora Salgado's arrest, efforts to free her continue. The charges against her haven't been dropped even though international bodies have recognized her detention is illegal and arbitrary.
Bolivians Use Social Media to Expose Electoral Fraud in President Morales’ Referendum
"None of this is new. But this time, it shows the power of social media, and that now we are able to impact a campaign with the truth."
Residents of the Peruvian Amazon Denounce Oil Spills Contaminating Local Rivers
"Incredible! Petroperú contaminates rivers in the Amazon and the 59 million sol fine will be paid by all of us Peruvians"
An Alleged Male Prostitution Ring Ignites Debate About Privacy and Journalism Ethics in Colombia
"By publishing the video of the ex-deputy minister, you have made yourself I would argue an example of what future journalists should NOT do."
How Lima Lost the Booksellers of Quilca Street
The many booksellers that occupied the busy Quilca street have been evicted and uncertainty looms over the future of not only the traders but also the greater area.
Colombia Introduces Harsher Prison Sentences for Acid Attacks
Every year, an average of 100 people suffer an acid attack in Colombia, where recently a law was passed to tough sentences and take judicial benefits away from the perpetrators.
Welcome to Manchay, the Neighbourhood in Lima Resisting the Arrival of Public Transport
What is it about life in Manchay that makes the residents protest so energetically against a fare rise that would to others seem negligible?
Violence Claims 49 Lives in an Overcrowded, Underguarded Mexican Prison
Forty percent over capacity, short on guards and supplies, and awash in violence. This is life in many of Mexico's prisons.
Stranger Than Fiction? Two Puppeteers Charged With ‘Glorifying Terrorism’ in Spain
"Following this legal reasoning, Francis Ford Coppola could be charged for the crimes that happen in The Godfather."
The Daughters of Violence Fight Back Against Street Harassment in Mexico with Art
Three Mexican girls are fighting back against street sexual harassment that victimises women, with wit and punk rock.
A Colombian Official Takes Short-Lived Legal Action Against a Journalist Over His Tweets
"...limitation of freedom of expression must be necessary and proportionate, that is, it must be the only and most effective means, something which is not true in this case."
An LGBT Blog Is Suspended Over Mention of Cuba’s 1960s-Era Labor Camps
"I honestly hoped it was a technical glitch...I don't know how this 'defames the Revolution,' as the judgment issued to us says."
Making Wasted Uneaten Food a Thing of the Past in Argentina
The Full Plate Project started when two friends realized there is a lot of unconsumed food that's thrown away when events have finished. So they decided to do something.
The YouTube Women: Delivering Hard-Hitting Digital Video Activism
"In Brazil at least, where we have a very communicative culture, it is [...] far easier to persuade someone to watch a video than to read an article."
Classrooms Without Teachers Spread in Southern Venezuela
Although they love their profession, hundreds of teachers in Gran Sabana, Venezuela, have left their classrooms to find more affordable pay in other industries.
A Costa Rican Political Party's ‘Incendiary’ Ad Didn't Seem to Help Them at the Polls
"That advertisement could seem to us idiotic... but these little Costa Rican army and far-right political groups are symptoms."
Kuelap, the Ancient Fortress That Aims to Become the Second Biggest Tourist Destination in Peru
"The old occupants of Kuelap abandoned their city before the Spaniards arrived, for reasons that remain unknown."
What Kicked Off in Uruguay that Lasts for 40 Days?
It lasts for 40 days and is considered the longest carnival in the world. The Uruguayan Carnival brings together traditions born Europe and Africa, and offers a whole lot more.
A Sexy Guide to Digital Security and Safer ‘Nudes’
The group Coding Rights says sexting can be a “pleasurable resistance to misogyny, conservatism, and heteronormavity,” but it's also seeking ways to protect people from forms of violence.
Russia and Chile Join the Global Campaign to Save a Saudi Poet From Execution
Poets and activists in Moscow and St Petersburg expressed their solidarity with Ashraf Fayadh, who's been sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia. Similar events were held in Chile and Mexico.
