Deputies question the constitutionality of a bill on strike action

Costa Rica Impact | Negative Risk | Medium Probability | Medium On September 4, the Legislative Assembly passed in first debate a bill to ban strikes for workers providing services considered “essential”. The initiative provides that a legal strike suspends all contractual obligations of the parties, including any payments of wages for as long as […]

Backtrack with restrictions on access to information bill?

Puerto Rico Impacto | Positive Governor Wanda Vazquez announced that she is considering a reform of the Open Data and Access to Public Information laws. The Legislative Assembly had modified these regulations in July, placing greater demands on requests for information, increasing exceptions for denying information and reducing sanctions. Despite complaints from civil society, Ricardo […]

Brazilian Congress creates front in defense of CSOs

Brazil Impact | Positive On September 10, a Joint Parliamentary Front in Defense of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) was launched in Congress. The Front will monitor the study of bills for the promotion of the right to association and citizen participation. It is made up of 210 legislators from different parties and has an advisory […]

President declares state of emergency: press denounce attacks

Ecuador Impact | Negative On October 3, President Lenin Moreno declared a state of emergency. This has granted the government extraordinary powers including to censor the media, and indeed there have been reports of members of the press being attacked by the police. The government has also placed restrictions on free movement in the capital. […]