Pirate Wire Radio

The US Drug Enforcement Agency leaked ongoing investigations into Colombian President Gustavo Petro to the press this week alleging ties to drug trafficking in the country. The accusations come two months before Presidential elections in Colombia, and from an administration that has routinely lied about narco-trafficking in Latin America to further its foreign policy goals. We speak with Adriaan Alsema, executive editor of Colombia Reports about what the allegations mean moving forward, claims by Petro’s party that the leaks amount to election interference, and the context of Trump’s “War on Drugs as Foreign Policy” more broadly in the region. In short, some elements of the accusations simply don’t add up, and others are presented without proof. Learn more in this week’s podcast at Pirate Wire Radio!As media is increasingly bought up by billionaires and huge corporations, and the world veers towards authoritarianism, please consider taking out a paid subscription to support independent media. PWS will never fear criticizing power.You can also donate a one-time gift via “Buy Me a Coffee”. It only takes a few moments, and you can do so here.And if you can’t do any of that, please do help us by sharing the piece! We don’t have billionaire PR teams either.Hasta pronto, piratas! Get full access to Pirate Wire Services at www.piratewireservices.com/subscribe

As the United States grapples with a surge of authoritarianism under Donald Trump, much of Europe is putting up new barriers to migrants. The two issues, xenophobia and rising autocracy, are deeply related. Our modern border system of cages and walls is deadly by design, and it empower autocrats who would crack down on civil society globally. “Open Borders” advocates are often dismissed as idealistic, but Max Granger, a writer, translator and migration activist, argues that the current system in the US, built over decades by both political parties, led us precisely to where we are.“It’s the people who think these power structures can be reformed who are being naive,” he told Pirate Wire Radio.We talk about the rise of neo-fascism in the US, how we built a modern hyper militarized and securitized border system, migrants who cross continents, and what solutions might look like moving forward. Give it a listen!And you can check out Max’s Substack, the Writing on the Wall, here.As media is increasingly bought up by billionaires and huge corporations, and the world veers towards authoritarianism, please consider taking out a paid subscription to support independent media. PWS will never fear criticizing powerYou can also donate a one-time gift via “Buy Me a Coffee”. It only takes a few moments, and you can do so here.And if you can’t do any of that, please do help us by sharing the piece! We don’t have billionaire PR teams either.Hasta pronto, piratas! Get full access to Pirate Wire Services at www.piratewireservices.com/subscribe

With US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, saying the US will resume attacks on Venezuela if the government doesn’t cooperate with US security concerns. Chief among those concerns are Colombian armed groups who smuggle cocaine into Venezuela. To really dig into the data about exactly how that works, and what ongoing conflict in the borderlands might look like with US involvement, we sat down with Adriaan Alsema from Colombia Reports.It’s everything you wanted to know about every armed group on the frontier, and exactly how the cocaine trade works. We also talk about a few things you wish you’d never learned.We understand that keeping all the armed groups straight can be confusing. Here is a handy guide to the acronyms!* AGC: “Clan del Golfo”* ACSN: The Conquistador Self-Defense Forces of the Sierra Nevadas: a paramilitary group that operates primary near the Atlantic coast. Also called “the Pachenkos”* ELN: The National Liberation Army* Frente Comunes del Sur: a former ELN group that splintered off to engage in negotiations with the Colombian government. They are in the process of disarming* Segunda Marquetalia, EMC, and EMFB: Three distinct FARC dissident groups that all maintain a presence in the Colombian-Venezuelan borderlandsAs media is increasingly bought up by billionaires and huge corporations, and the world veers towards authoritarianism, please consider taking out a paid subscription to support independent media. PWS will never fear criticizing powerYou can also donate a one-time gift via “Buy Me a Coffee”. It only takes a few moments, and you can do so here.And if you can’t do any of that, please do help us by sharing the piece! We don’t have billionaire PR teams either.Hasta pronto, piratas! Get full access to Pirate Wire Services at www.piratewireservices.com/subscribe

The Pirate Wire Radio podcast series is usually for paid subscribers, but this week we’re making it available for all! Please consider taking out a paid subscription and support indie journalism. We have plans that start at just $5/monthWe sat down with two old friends and Latin America experts to talk about Trump’s drug war in the Caribbean. We talk about false claims, opaque processes, the ‘War on Drugs’, and the US State Department blowing up fishermen. With Adriaan Alselma, from Colombia Reports, and Richard McColl, from Colombia Calling. With recent US bombings of fast boats moving to the Pacific, pressure on Venezuela has dropped, at least for the moment. But the Trump expansion of executive power under the guise of the wars on drugs and terror continues unabated. It may currently be the deadliest show on earth. Check it out on Pirate Wire Radio!As media is increasingly bought up by billionaires and huge corporations, and the world veers towards authoritarianism, please consider taking out a paid subscription to support independent media. PWS will never fear criticizing powerYou can also donate a one-time gift via “Buy Me a Coffee”. It only takes a few moments, and you can do so here.And if you can’t do any of that, please do help us by sharing the piece! We don’t have billionaire PR teams either. Get full access to Pirate Wire Services at www.piratewireservices.com/subscribe

Paid subscribers get early access to the Pirate Wire Radio podcast series! This episode will become available to all subscribers in five days.Bolivia’s left-wing indigenous-led party, MAS, has governed Bolivia for almost two decades. However, infighting between former President Evo Morales and current President Arce, as well as mismanagement and economic crisis, have destroyed any chance of a leftist candidate winning the presidential elections on August 17. More than just a lost office, however, MAS may well lose its ability to present candidates in future parliamentary elections. If they can’t register 5% of the vote in August, they lose party ratification under Bolivian law. Their current candidate is averaging just slightly less than 1% in polls. We talk with anthropologist and researcher, Jordan Cooper, about his time among Aymara communities in the country, how these fissures happened, and how Evo Morales went from one of the most respected and popular figures in the country to one of the most reviled. You can find Jordan on Twitter, or see his work as a contributing editor at Negation Magazine. Get full access to Pirate Wire Services at www.piratewireservices.com/subscribe

Paid subscribers get early access to the Pirate Wire Radio podcast series! This episode will become available to all subscribers in five days.In this episode of Pirate Wire Radio, we speak with Mat Youkee, a journalist in Panama City, and a regular contributor at the Guardian and the Economist, about massive protests in Panama. He describes the reasons behind growing anti-U.S and anti-Trump sentiment in the country, as well as breaks down the complex and myriad reasons that have kept thousands in the streets for months in protests that have at times clashed with police. Meanwhile, authorities have declared a state of emergency and begun crackdowns in the regions where protests have been fiercest. We get into all the details, as well the role of U.S. fruit company Chiquita!You can find Mat’s Substack, the Sulaco Times, here. Get full access to Pirate Wire Services at www.piratewireservices.com/subscribe

Paid subscribers get early access to the Pirate Wire Radio podcast series! This episode will become available to all subscribers in five days.Mass deportation programs in the United States have dominated international media headlines, but all the while a much smaller country in the Americas has been reaching much higher numbers than the Trump administration.The Dominican Republic, a country 30 times smaller than the U.S., deported more than a quarter of a million migrants, mostly Haitians, in 2024. And with a new quota of 10,000 deportations a week in 2025, the crackdowns are only getting more brutal. Interestingly enough, Venezuelans remain welcome in the D.R., suggesting that racism plays a stong role in nativist dynamics. PWS spoke this week with Simón Rodriguez, a freelance journalist in the Dominican Republic about the most brutal migrant crackdown in the western hemisphere— and the rise of ultra-right anti-migrant vigilante groups who adopt neo-nazi and fascist rhetoric in the country. Many critics describe the system as “an Apartheid system in the Caribbean.”You can find Simón’s substack here.As media is increasingly bought up by billionaires and huge corporations, and the world veers towards authoritarianism, please consider taking out a paid subscription to support independent mediaYou can also donate a one-time gift via “Buy Me a Coffee”. It only takes a few moments, and you can do so here. Get full access to Pirate Wire Services at www.piratewireservices.com/subscribe

The attack on Colombia’s Palace of Justice resulted in one of the country’s most famous massacres. For decades, the public largely believed government claims that it was M-19 Guerillas who killed hostages and nearly half of the Supreme Court. But new evidence and testimony have come to light that it was actually military intelligence who murdered the majority of both, even torturing some as part of special interrogations, then placing their bodies back in the burnt palace. As the country’s Truth Commissions uncover more details, a new witness has come forth to support the allegations. Gustavo Petro, who was once a member of M-19, has asked the US State Department to declassify its records about the iconic event. But perhaps most troubling of all, the episode is a powerful example of the “Dirty War”, then fought across Latin America, and supported by US policy, which resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of people. PWS, with Adriann Alsema, from Colombia Reports, breaks it all down in this week’s feature story. It’s one of those pieces where the story is just too big for a written feature. It merits an entire podcast. PWS has edited the original conversation for brevity and story-telling purposes. But if you want to hear the entire conversation, you can do so at Colombia Reports, where it will be published in the coming days.As media is increasingly bought up by billionaires and the world veers towards authoritarianism, please consider taking out a paid subscription to support independent media Get full access to Pirate Wire Services at www.piratewireservices.com/subscribe

This week’s news feature is a preview of our upcoming podcast season with Adriaan Alsema from Colombia Reports.Colombian police intelligence likely purchased Israeli software Pegasus during the country’s national strike in 2021, during which police killed over 60 protesters. The sale was never declared in Colombia, and although the NSO Group, who created Pegasus, broke no laws in Israel, they defied Colombian law by accepting a $13 million payment from an unknown party in the country’s police ranks. Since the news broke, a software salesman and Israeli citizen from a company associated with the NSO Group was found dead in Medellin in a presumed homicide. Making matters worse, no one in Colombia even knows who has the weapons-grade spyware, who used it, or where it ended up. As multiple investigations proceed, they do so in the context of worsening relations between Israel, and leftist President Gustavo Petro in Colombia, who has sharply criticized Israeli actions in their ongoing war in Gaza. Israel and Colombia dissolved all diplomatic contact last year after Petro accused Israel of committing genocide. We get into all those details and more in this conversation, which result from independent investigations by both PWS and Colombia Reports. We hope you enjoy it ‘cause it’s a wild ride!This episode is free access, but the upcoming season will be released immediately only for paid subscribers. Please consider taking out a subscription to support our work. We have plans that start at just $5/month *An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported the sum as $30 million. We regret the error*In case you missed our breaking news coverage of Pegasus in Latin America you can catch up here.We will be back to the normal format next week and hope to launch the new complete podcast series for paid subscribers in mid-October. Hasta Pronto, piratas! Get full access to Pirate Wire Services at www.piratewireservices.com/subscribe

Protests over U.S. funding of the Israeli war in Gaza, originally organized at Columbia University in New York City, have spread to more than 40 campuses. Police crackdowns, including the deployment of the National Guard against students in Texas, have inspired outrage, and likely helped fuel support for a movement that seems for the moment to be spreading across the country. But media bias in protest coverage, as well as rhetorical attacks by politicians on the protesters themselves got us thinking about the parallels to social movements we’ve seen here in Colombia (with an “o” not a “u”). So we reached out to Richard McColl, who runs the country's most popular English language podcast, Colombia Calling, and our piratical companion and sometimes contributor here at PWS, Adriaan Alsema of Colombia Reports, together for a dream team explainer on the phenomenon. States often follow a playbook when delegitimizing protests they find inconvenient, and this movement has been no exception. Structural problems inherent to the legacy media model also skew coverage towards official sources, often leaving out the voice of protesters entirely. So what does Colombia have to do with Columbia? More than you might imagine, and we break it all down in the audio version of this week’s feature story.We’ve edited down the original 35-minute analysis to just 13 minutes, which is what we’ve published here. Both Colombia Calling and Colombia Reports will publish the full “director’s cut” later this week. We’ll be back to a written feature next Friday for those who prefer their news in print. In the meantime, we’re still working on a new season of feature podcasts for paid subscribers. Thanks again for listening/reading, mateys. Y hasta pronto! Get full access to Pirate Wire Services at www.piratewireservices.com/subscribe

Welcome back Piratas!Yesterday the Venezuelan government banned presidential primary opposition candidate María Corina Machado from office for 15 years, sparking international condemnation.Recent polls show right-wing Machado’s popularity on the rise— she is currently leads a crowded field of 14 candidates vying to challenge socialist President Nicolás Maduro in the 2024 election.The latest survey by Caracas-based firm ORC Consultores showed her with 46.4% of voter intention, a 10% gain since the beginning of the year.In the decision, Venezuela’s Comptroller office stated that a previous ban imposed because Machado supported sanctions by the United States on the Maduro government and backed former opposition leader Juan Guaido, will now be extended.Even leaders who have been friendly towards the Maduro government, such as Petro Gustavo in Colombia, have criticized the decision.It’s a complex subject, and one of the things to do at PWS is break down the context and nuance that often gets missed by the big media companies. To that end we reached out to Caracas journalist and political analyst Tony Frangie Mawad to talk about what this means for ongoing sanctions, how the opposition is likely to respond and why Machada, often called MCM within Venezuela, has been banned.And it was a fascinating conversation. Get full access to Pirate Wire Services at www.piratewireservices.com/subscribe

Last week a German tourism company that offers $4000 USD tours of the Darien Gap —the most dangerous migration corridor in the Americas— elicited a firestorm of criticism.Some journalists erroneously claimed that the company, which provides guides and helicopter evac in case of a medical emergency, was profiting from and exploiting migration, which has expanded radically in recent years and has claimed hundreds of lives.In order to examine the dynamic further, we invited Jordan Stern, a photographer who has crossed the gap and long covered migration from various countries in South and Central America, to explain what he thought.From his point of view, the programs say more about the criminalization of migration in general and the governments who have forced migrants into life-threatening situations than it does about the insensitivity of European tour companies.But that’s not the say the dynamic isn’t without problems. Get full access to Pirate Wire Services at www.piratewireservices.com/subscribe

Avast, me hearties! I don’t know about you but we’re greeting the weekend like a marooned man greets a passing ship.Before we get onto the news, there’s a brief update. For the past three months, we’ve been sending you a weekly podcast episode on everything from crypto-ponzi schemes in Argentina to migrants at the US-Mexico border. But creating high-quality reported audio journalism is complex and time-consuming. Podcasts by major media companies are often the work of a team of people, but we often produce ours on our own, in addition to our day jobs, with a little voiceover assistance from our co-pirates. To give the Pirate Wire Services podcast the love and care it deserves, we’re going to try releasing the podcast in seasons: instead of publishing short weekly updates, after today the podcast will take a two-month break while we work on a season to be released in September, for our one-year anniversary. Until then, we’ll keep sending out the newsletter, with extra written stories to make up for the lack of a podcast.Don’t forget: if you’ve been enjoying our work, paid subscriptions start from just US$5 per month!For this week’s podcast episode, Josh takes a look at the new report from the Colombian truth commission., which has created waves for it’s finding on the civil war, and had powerful ramifications for the current administration. “If you wanted a business competitor gone, all you had to do was talk with the paramilitaries sipping coffee at a Bogotá mall. If you lost a ton of cocaine to the police, they could it back for you,” said the report over connections between the government and armed groups. We explore that and more in the podcast linked above!Stories we’re watching:The government of Ecuador and leaders of indigenous groups reached an agreement yesterday to end the national strike in protest against the economic measures of right-wing president Guillermo Lasso. Initially triggered by rising fuel prices, the strikes began on 13 June, and involved widespread roadblocks. The demonstrations were led by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (Conaie) and left at least 6 dead and around 500 injured, including protesters and police officers. A key point of the agreement was a $0.15 per gallon reduction in the price of subsidized fuels (Ecuador uses the US dollar). Initially, the indigenous groups demanded a $0.40 reduction.In Colombia, at least 51 prison inmates have died and dozens have required medical attention after a riot in a prison in the city of Tuluá, in the Cauca Valley department. According to the prison director, most of the victims lost their lives after inhaling smoke from a large fire caused by the burning of mattresses during the riot. Outgoing Colombian President Iván Duque lamented the deaths, described the event as a "terrible situation", and expressed his solidarity with the victims’ families. President-elect Gustavo Petro echoed these sentiments and pointed out that "the Colombian State has viewed prison as a space for revenge and not for rehabilitation." He added that these events "force a complete rethinking of prison policy."Brazilian President Jair Bolosnaro announced on Monday his intention to offer political asylum to former Bolivian interim president Jeanine Áñez. She was sentenced to 10 years in prison for violating the constitutional order by proclaiming herself president in 2019, after controversial electoral fraud allegations, violent protests and loss of military and police support forced the resignation of incumbent president Evo Morales. Bolsonaro reportedly discussed the issue with other Latin American leaders and has stated that he will follow through with the asylum if the Bolivian government agrees. However, the Bolivian Minister of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday described the Brazilian president's offer as "impertinent", adding: “[his comments] interfere inappropriately in internal affairs, they do not respect the forms of relations between states and they do not coincide with the relations of good neighborliness and mutual respect between Brazil and Bolivia."On Monday, the bodies of 48 people and 16 others in a critical condition were found in and around a truck in the city of San Antonio, Texas. Five more individuals died over the next two days. The victims were mostly Mexican and Central American migrants attempting to reunite with loved ones or seek a better life in the United States. At least five of the 67 trafficked passengers were minors. According to the investigations, it is the deadliest case of human trafficking in recent US history. Investigations are still under way, but the migrants had been transported with no water or ventilation in temperatures of up to 40°C. Currently, the driver Homero Zamorano and three other Mexican citizens are being prosecuted in court for the deaths of the migrants.What we’re reading:* On Colombia’s Truth Commission Report: this long read, this podcast, and this blogpost (a few years old but still good)

News ahoy! It’s Saturday, (yeah, we're a little late, sorry, Piratas) and even though most stories reach the Good Ship Capybara via a message in a bottle, we’ve got plenty of updates for you today.Last Sunday, Colombians voted in a second round of presidential elections that saw leftist ex-mayor of Bogotá and former M19 militant, Gustavo Petro, elected to the top job. His vice president is the trailblazing Afrocolombian environmental activist, Francia Márquez. In this week’s podcast, Daniela looks at Ecuador, where Amnesty International has sounded the alarm over a “human rights crisis” as protests are met with brutal repression by the security forces. Indigenous protesters, unions and social groups have been on national strike since 13 June, protesting rising food and fuel prices. At least two people have died so far and there are widespread reports of injuries. President Guillermo Lasso declared a state of emergency last Friday suspending freedom of transit, assembly and association.In case you missed it, here’s a round-up of our Colombian election coverage lately:* Francia Márquez gave us a written interview about her candidacy and activism (click for Spanish or English)* Do last year’s protests and this year’s election mean Colombia is finally moving on from the violent legacy of far-right president Uribe? By Josh for paying subscribers (hint hint)OK, onto the news.* A judge in Brazil is facing investigation after she blocked an 11-year-old rape victim from having an abortion and separated the girl from her family. Abortions are legal only in cases of rape and risk to the pregnant person’s life in Brazil. The family had taken the girl’s case to court after medics refused to perform the procedure on the grounds that she was 22 weeks pregnant, claiming that the 20-week threshold recommended by the national health ministry was a legal limit, rather than a recommendation. Brazil is holding elections in October and with elective abortion legalized in regional neighbours Argentina and Colombia since late 2020, the procedure could become a campaign issue.* In Honduras, businessman Roberto David Castillo has been sentenced to 22 years in jail for ordering the 2016 assassination of environmental activist, Berta Cáceres. The environmentalist was leading protests against the construction of a dam by Castillo’s company, Desa, which would have destroyed large swathes of the lands of the indigenous Lenca people.* A major Brazilian drug trafficker has been caught in Hungary after faking his own death by forging a certificate saying he’d died of COVID.* This week in badass Colombian women, engineer Diana Trujillo has been named a flight director at NASA, where she will supervise the Artemis mission to the moon and missions to the International Space Station. She arrived in the US when she was 17 with USD300 and no English, and her first objective was “to not die of hunger”, she told CNN.What we’re reading/watching* On the note of the Berta Cáceres trials, the dam company executives who ordered the murder of Honduran environmental activist Berta Cáceres in 2016 may have paid for the hit with money received from Dutch investment bank FMO via offshore Deutsche Bank accounts in New York. Our friend Jared Olson published a brilliant investigation for The Intercept following the money * Horrifying, but not surprising: some of the tens of thousands of young men rounded up as part of El Salvador’s State of Exception, which the president claims is necessary to crack down on gangs, have come home in coffins: Anna-Cat Brigida reports* In Venezuela, priests convicted of abuse have returned to ministry* This is a great overview of the Argentine right’s likely presidential candidates ahead of next year’s elections from País de Boludos, delivered in the mellifluous machine-gun tones achievable only by a Buenos Aires native on his fourth jarrito of coffee* Self-described drug policy nerd and VICE World News Latin America editor, Deborah Bonello, gave a one-hour Instagram live on what Petro’s election in Colombia might mean for the cocaine tradeWhat we’re writing* The Pan-American Health Organization will elect a new leader in September. Amy spoke to the nominees about the most pressing health issues in the Americas for The LancetSpanish words of the weekOh, and please hit us with your best Shakira puns!Noticias castellanas!* En el podcast de esta semana, Daniela analiza el caso de Ecuador, donde Amnistía Internacional ha dado la voz de alarma respecto de una "crisis de derechos humanos", debido a las protestas en las que manifestantes indígenas se enfrentan a una brutal represión por parte de las fuerzas de seguridad. Los protestantes de pueblos originarios más sindicatos y grupos sociales están en huelga nacional desde el 13 de junio, en protesta por el aumento de los precios de los alimentos y el combustible. Hasta el momento, han muerto al menos dos personas y se han registrado numerosos heridos. El presidente Guillermo Lasso decla

Como siempre, deslizáte para abajo para leer todo en castellano.Hola Piratas!This week was an especially chaotic one in Latin America. Joshua and Daniela are buried under a mountain of electioneering pamphlets and deadlines as they scramble to cover the end of a fractious and dramatic presidential race in Colombia.Amy and Paulo, recently recovered from the plague, have resumed full-time duties aboard our privateer vessel in search of ever more hard-hitting stories from the front lines of indy journalism. In this week’s Pirate Wire Services podcast, Amy looks at Generación Zoe, a crypto ponzi scheme under the guise of a trading “university” that scammed thousands of people out of their savings in Argentina and beyond. It all ended in a dramatic manhunt in the Caribbean - check out the podcast to hear more.And now the big stories this week in Latin America!The News:The 10-day search for journalist Dom Phillips and Indigenous specialist Bruno Pereira came to a tragic conclusion late Wednesday in Brazil, when the primary suspect in the case confessed to killing the pair. He then led officials to a remote location where human remains were found. Brazilian police swiftly tried to take credit for solving the case despite the fact that it was indigenous search groups who found the presumably guilty suspect. In comments to the media, President Bolsonaro blamed Phillips himself for the horrific event, saying both men were “unprepared” for the field mission, although they had been carrying out important work in the region for years, and that Phillips was “not well liked” by criminal groups and public forces there.Last week at Pirate Wire Services, we talked about the history of state ineptitude, neglect and possibile complicity with criminal endeavors in the region where Pereira and Phillips were killed. Just after you received your message in a bottle last week, Bolivia’s ex interim president Jeanine Áñez was sentenced to 10 years in prison over charges that she came to power via a coup. The charges relate to the dark period following the forced resignation of long-term president Evo Morales after controversial electoral fraud allegations in late 2019. It’s a divisive verdict in Bolivia: many feel the former president deserves to end up behind bars for a whole host of misdeeds, including grave human rights violations, corruption, and her shaky route to power. But others feel it was a political trial whose outcome was a forgone conclusion. They’re asking why she faced an ordinary trial rather than a trial of responsibilities, a special procedure to try former presidents in Bolivia. Others say the verdict doesn’t deliver justice to victims of massacres perpetrated by the security forces on her watch. To understand the arguments in greater depth, check out Amy’s NACLA piece from the start of the trial.Indigenous communities in Ecuador implemented a “national strike” on Monday over rising fuel prices and gasoline subsidy cuts. The government responded by arresting one of the leaders of the Indigenous Federation CONAIE, Leonidas Iza. President Guillermo Lasso denounced blockades set up by protesters on highways around the country, announcing in public comments that measures were being undertaken to carry out “the detention of the intellectual authors of these violent acts”Student groups as well as some labor organizations joined the protests shortly afterwards, which have now blockaded streets in the capital of Quito. Fuel prices have risen sharply in recent weeks in Ecuador, which is still recovering from a deep Covid-induced recession.The last time Indigenous protesters marched on the capital in 2019, then-president Lenin Moreno was forced to flee the seat of government and withdraw the economic austerity policies that sparked the uprising.Voters head to the polls Sunday to choose a new president in Colombia. Gustavo Petro, of the leftist coalition Pacto Histórico faces off against…well…whatever Rodolfo Hernandez represents. Polls currently put the construction magnate and ex-mayor of Bucaramanga in a statistical tie with Petro. Both campaigns have suggested the voting process may be plagued with fraud, causing considerable worry that the loser may not respect the results in the case the race is close, which is very likely.Over fears of election violence, Colombia has deployed 30,000 troops to guard polling stations. Police also arrested more than 20 activists Wednesday on charges related to last year's protests. Police said they were investigating Primera Linea protesters for “plotting violence on election day”. As evidence, police cited an anonymous twitter account with 94 followers that was created in March. It is unclear how that has anything to do with arresting more than 20 people for charges dating back more than a year. We are confused as well, dear reader. We are sorry we can’t explain this bizarre story better. Civil rights watchdog groups called the move “a clear attempt at intimidation.” Whoever wins the ele

Shiver me timbers, it’s Friday!Today, we’re marooned. Spiritually, professionally, and piratically. It’s been one of those weeks.Our podcast this week is a deep dive into who the next possible president of Colombia may be. Rodolfo Hernandez pulled off an upset in the first round and may be headed to the highest office in the land. We spoke with three experts about what that could mean for the future. Before we get going with the news, Pirate Wire Services needs your support! This project represents around a day of work a week for four experienced journalists across two countries. We have dreams for the podcast, but at the moment it’s still mostly a labour of love, and without financing, it’s extremely difficult to grow. You can take paid subscriptions from as little as US$5 per month. The paid version includes exclusives such as our fortnightly Ship’s Log series, and we’re considering launching more perks including explainers and photography. Sign up at our Substack page. Don’t forget we’re also on Spotify, Twitter, and as of this week, Facebook. Our readership survey is open for one more week - thanks to those of you who have responded so far, your feedback is extremely helpful!This week, Amy is paying tribute to Octorina Zamora, a Wichí woman who made groundbreaking progress fighting for Indigenous rights, especially for women and girls, in northern Argentina. Following a long stretch in hospital, her daughter Tujuayliya wrote to say that Octorina had passed away early on Wednesday morning. Earlier this year, she had played an instrumental role in organizing for 30 Indigenous women to file a report with the authorities demanding that the fathers of their children recognize their relationship to the children, many of whom were conceived as a result of rape. Many would describe Octorina as an activist, a leader, or a fighter, a woman who fought back against threats and violence to demand justice for her people. But she shrugged off all these honorifics and insisted on describing herself as simply a Wichí woman. Her passing is a great loss to her community and the Indigenous struggle in Argentina. Amy interviewed her for The Guardian and a tribute to her is available in Spanish here.Sadly, this week there’s more bad news from Brazil. At least 106 people have been killed in floods and landslides in the city of Recife, in the north-eastern state of Pernambuco. Local authorities estimate around 6,198 people have lost their homes across the state’s 24 municipalities, which have declared a state of emergency following torrential rains. Meteorologists told local media that the downpours are a result of a climate phenomenon known as “Waves from the East”, in which rain clouds from Africa reach Brazil.Chile’s Minister of the Interior, Izkia Siches, will tell president Gabriel Boric on 9 June whether she recommends continuing the State of Exception in the southern region known as Macrozona Sur. The measure involves military intervention in the region’s roads, in response to violence being committed in the context of a conflict between the Chilean state, large businesses, and groups demanding Indigenous sovereignty in the region. Siches highlighted a reduction in violent incidents in the zone. During a recent speech, Boric said that although these measures “don’t solve the underlying problem”, in the future he will not hesitate “to make use of these measures so that all those who live in our territory can travel safely”. This Thursday, Amnesty International presented a report on El Salvador’s State of Exception detailing at least 30 cases of “mass human rights violations”, violations of judicial due process and arrests made without evidence. In March, Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele decreed a State of Exception following a wave of murders. An investigation by El Faro revealed the slaughter to be retaliation for a breakdown in a deal the government had made with the country’s gangs. To date, the authorities say they have detained around 35,000 people they allege are linked to gangs, or “maras”, as they are known locally.What we’re reading:Carole Concha Bell’s piece in NACLA gives a brilliant analysis of Boric’s State of Exception and the struggle for Indigenous rights in southern Chile, pushing back against prevailing discourse that attacks in the region are all committed by Mapuche activists and highlighting the connivance between police and private security.Anna-Cat Brigida’s detailed Al Jazeera story shows that many of the young men arrested as part of El Salvador’s State of Exception are being detained simply to fulfill quotas“Sadly, their importance is tied to their willingness to operate on a shoestring budget and to put themselves in harm’s way on their own dime”: Briana Ellis-Gibbs’s piece on the precarious conditions of conflict photographers rings true to the PWS crewThis Twitter thread on how Rodolfo Hernández, Colombia’s presidential frontrunner, is taking up the discourse of “interior commotion” used by

Ahoy! It’s been a labor intensive week for the PWS crew as presidential elections near in Colombia, which is what we’re talking about in this week's podcast!Amy and Paulo are well on the road to recovery after involuntary Covid vacations. Daniela and Joshua meanwhile are hunkered down in Bogotá hoping that a tense election weekend passes without incident.This week in the headlines in Latam!In terrible scenes in Brazil, 26 people were killed on Tuesday in the Rio de Janeiro favela of Vila Cruzeiro during a police operation to capture drug traffickers from the “Comando Vermelho” gang. The group is allegedly responsible for over 80% of shootouts in the city. The authorities claim that the deaths were due to confrontations between the police and criminals. However, the Comptroller’s Office and Human Rights Ombudsman have questioned the official account. “Currently, the legality of the operation is under investigation and the proportionality in the use of force, the high lethality, lead us to suspect that a massacre may have been committed,” the institutions said in a statement. President Jair Bolsonaro congratulated the officers involved, in what Human Rights Watch described as a message of impunity. Black Brazilians are disproportionately likely to be killed by the police.A 66-year-old Mapuche man has been killed and at least two others suffered bullet wounds after a group of hooded attackers ambushed a bus carrying around 30 forestry workers in southern Chile. This comes a week after the government of Gabriel Boric declared a state of emergency and a military intervention in the region in response to the crime and attacks taking place in the context of a conflict over Indigenous peoples’ legitimate demands. President Boric said: “We will not tolerate violence being imposed as a conflict resolution method.”On Thursday, Peru’s congress approved a censure motion against the Labour Minister, Betssy Chávez, after questions were raised about how she handled a strike by air traffic controllers during Holy Week. The motion was approved with 71 votes, including not just the right-wing and centrist opposition parties, but also President Pedro Castillo’s ruling Perú Libre party. Chavez, who will have to present her resignation within 72 hours of the vote, is the second of Castillo’s ministers to be censured so far. Over 50 people have passed through his Cabinet in the 10 months since he became president.What we’re writing:* Josh wrote this primer on the Colombian elections for NACLA and this analysis of what the polls mean for the peace process for Preemptive Love. Both are expertly illustrated with Daniela’s photography.* Amy submitted her master’s thesis, but you can’t read it yet. Like a true pirate she has to defend it. She’s sharpening her cutlass as we speak.What we’re reading:* This story about a Bolivian student leader who allegedly stayed enrolled at a public university for 32 years so he could keep his state salary of around US$3,000 per month may not be the most profound thing you’ll read this week. But Discworld fans will appreciate the strong Rincewind energy. And it gives Amy comfort to know there’s someone out there taking longer to graduate than her.Spanish words of the week:* sabandijas (fpl): Vermin* sangría francesa (f): Because why have a hanging indent on your publication when you could have a FRENCH BLEED? We’re open to reader submissions for the most needlessly dramatic typesetting term, but we don’t think you’re going to beat thisNoticias EspañolasTerrible escenario en Brasil: 25 personas murieron el martes en un complejo de favelas de Río de Janeiro, en medio de una operación policial que pretendía la captura de narcotraficantes del ‘Comando Vermelho’, un importante grupo criminal que sería responsable de más del 80% de enfrentamientos armados en Río de Janeiro. Según las autoridades, las muertes se debieron a los enfrentamientos entre policías y delincuentes. Sin embargo, desde la Contraloría y la Defensoría Pública local han cuestionado el operativo. “Hasta el momento se está investigando la legalidad de la operación y la proporcionalidad en el uso de la fuerza, la alta letalidad levanta la sospecha de que pudo haber sido cometida una matanza”, han expresado ambas instituciones en un comunicado.El Congreso de Perú aprobó el jueves una moción de censura contra la ministra de Trabajo, Betssy Chávez, a raíz de cuestionamientos sobre el manejo de una huelga de controladores aéreos ocurrida durante la pasada Semana Santa. La censura se aprobó con 71 votos, entre los cuales, además de las bancadas de oposición de derecha y centro, se contaron votos del oficialismo de Perú Libre, el partido del presidente Pedro Castillo. Chávez, que deberá presentar su renuncia en un plazo de 72 horas, es la segunda ministra censurada en lo que va de mandato. Sin embargo, se suma a los más de 50 nombres que han formado parte del Gabinete Ministerial en 10 meses. A una semana de que el gobierno de Gabriel Boric decret

Avast ye! It’s Friday.This week, Amy and Paulo are shivering their timbers with scurvid, the most briny of omicron subvariants. Josh is setting sail for Bogotá and Dani is writing a lot and crying in a fetal position.Don’t forget to fill in our reader survey and check us out on Spotify!For this week’s podcast, Josh is telling a story of reconciliation. Since FARC, the Colombian insurgent group, signed a peace deal with the state in 2016, several ex-combatants have formed a team that searches for those who disappeared during the country’s armed conflict. During this humanitarian work, they met Helmut Ángulo, who was searching for the bodies of his parents. To find out what happened next, listen to the episode!Onto the news:In Chile, the government of Gabriel Boric this week declared a state of emergency and sent the military back to the south of the country. They stated that the move was to defend transport links from attacks perpetrated by members of Indigenous communities such as the Mapuche. The decision marked a new turn in Boric’s policies: on 27 March, just weeks after he came to power, he withdrew the military stationed in the same region by the right-wing government of Sebastián Piñera, fulfilling one of his campaign promises. Now, despite the rejection of parts of his coalition and his voters, Boric’s government is arguing that the military will not take part in repressive action, but rather will limit themselves to protecting highways and communication infrastructure, to avoid interruptions to the transport of essential goods. This piece from last year gives a good overview of the situation for Indigenous rights in the region.On Tuesday, José Carlos Acevedo, mayor of the Paraguayan city of Pedro Juan Caballero, was shot seven times by a band of hired killers who have yet to be identified. He is in an induced coma, with doctors saying his condition is “critical” and he is highly unlikely to recover. The attack came a week after the murder of the Paraguayan prosecutor Marcelo Pecci, who was also attacked by hitmen on a beach in Colombia. The Paraguayan government, which attributes the killings to drug trafficking rings in the country, “declared war against organized crime” on Thursday.Argentina carried out its national census on Wednesday, two years later than planned because of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to provisional information from the country’s National Institute of Statistics and Census, which carried out the study, Argentina currently has a population of 47,327,407, around seven million more than in the 2010 census. Of those, 52.83% identify as women, 47.05% as men, and 0.12% don’t identify with either category.Earlier this week, the Biden administration announced a series of measures that would ease relations between the US and Cuba, marking a break with the policies of ex-president Trump. The new measures include resuming commercial flights to Cuban cities besides Havana, suspending the US$1,000 quarterly remittance limit, allowing people to send remittances to people they’re not related to, and expanding visas, including for educational trips, work meetings, and research. In a similar vein, Washington slightly relaxed its oil sanctions on Venezuela by permitting Chevron, the last US oil giant with significant operations in the country, to restart talks with the Maduro regime. For more about what oil sanctions relief could mean for the Venezuelan people, listen to Amy’s podcast from last week.In Colombia, the Constitutional Court this week recognized the traditional midwifery practiced widely among Pacific and Caribbean populations as ancestral knowledge and national patrimony. This obliges the Ministry of Health to include those who practice midwifery in the social security system. The ruling also means that the practice will be included in the formal medical system. Happy feminist Friday!What we’re reading:* In El Salvador, the brutal spree of 87 murders that took place in March was carried out by gangs in retaliation for the government failing to keep up its end of a deal it had made, according to this El Faro long read.* We asked on Twitter for your favourite books about Colombia and this is what you said. We’d better get to the library - lots of great recommendations here!Spanish words of the week:* morlacos (m) - heavyweights, fighting bulls… or money! Dough! Cash!¡Noticias castellanas!Esta semana, nuestros piratas Amy y Paulo están con el garfío abajo por culpa del eskorbuto, la subvariente del omicron más salada. Josh zarpa rumbo a Bogotá y Dani escribe mucho y llora en posición fetal.¡Recuerda! queremos saber qué opinas de nuestro servicios piratas, así que te invitamos a completar nuestra encuesta de lector y escuchar nuestros episodios previos en Spotify. En el podcast de esta ocasión, Josh les cuenta la historia de reconciliación entre Helmut Ángulo, víctima de las FARC, y varios exguerrilleros de este grupo insurgente colombiano que en 2016 firmó un Acuerdo de Paz con el

Ahoy there!We hope you’ve all weighed anchor for the weekend by now, because we’re sending this super late. Soz. The podcaster responsible *ahem* will be duly keelhauled once we can find a vessel bound for Buenos Aires.In this week’s podcast, Amy is looking at whether the US will ease its sanctions on Venezuela - and whether that would be enough for the country to recover from its drawn-out crisis. You can read more from the episode’s interviewee here.Don’t forget to fill out our quick reader survey, we’d love to get to know you!The big stories in Latin America this week!Francisca Sandoval, the journalist who was shot in the face during the protests and clashes that took place on May 1 in a neighborhood of Santiago de Chile -and who we talked about in last week's podcast- died on Thursday after struggling for her life for twelve days in intensive care. She becomes the first journalist murdered in Chile since the fall of the fascist government of Pinochet in 1990. The alleged perpetrator of the attack, Mauricio Naranjo, 42, is previously accused of theft and drug dealing and could be sentenced up to 11 years in prison.A Paraguayan prosecutor investigating organized crime was shot dead on a beach located on the island of Barú in Colombia, while spending his honeymoon with his wife. Marcelo Pecci, 45, investigated drug trafficking and money laundering. According to local media reports, two men came by sea to the beach where the prosecutor was and, upon finding him, shot him before fleeing the scene in a jetski. The case is currently under investigation, and Colombian authorities are offering up to 2 million pesos- roughly 500 US dollars- as a reward for information on those involved in the attack. The president of Bolivia, Luis Arce, announced that he will not attend the upcoming Summit of the Americas if Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua are also not invited. The United States, where the summit will be held, publicly stated that it is considering not inviting the three countries because, they said, they "do not respect democracy”. However, from the White House press secretary, they have indicated that "a final decision has not yet been made" on the issue. Mexican president, Manuel López Obrador, also questioned the possibility of not including the three countries to the continental meeting, stating that Mexico could possibly decline to attend as well. The summit will be held from June 6-10 in Los Angeles. Last Tuesday, Peru’s Congress appointed six new members to the Constitutional Court, a judicial body in charge of resolving constitutional disputes. The six tribunes were elected without legislative debate by the votes of Fujimorismo, the right-wing political grouping, and other right-wing factions, as well as the left-wing ruling party, Peru Libre. Ten parliamentarians from the government party resigned in protest. The new Constitutional Court will likely be quite conservative.What we are listening to: This podcast by Radio Ambulante about the first Black Miss Ecuador discusses how her victory challenges assumptions about canonical beauty, representation and race in Latin America. It’s in Spanish.►https://radioambulante.org/audio/monica-la-primeraWhat we are reading:Among the threads that should have been stories, there is this one by Chris Blattman about what happens when homicide rates fall because governments reach agreements with armed gangs and organized crime►What we are writing:Joshua published “The Invisibles” for The New Humanitarian, a longform multi-media piece about following a Cuban migrant all the way from Caracas, Venezuela to Houston, Texas. For 8 months, Will faced a host of life-threatening challenges in one of the most dangerous migration corridors in the world.►https://interactive.thenewhumanitarian.org/stories/2022/05/10/us-asylum-darien-gap-cuba-central-america-mexico/And Amy published this delightful note on the BBC about the Buenos Aires custom of eating pizza with a piece of chickpea flatbread on top► https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20220509-fain-buenos-aires-unusual-pizza-toppingSpanish words of the week:pantorillas - calves, as in the bit that gets sore when you do too much running… or too much trapeze. What a gloriously silly word.Las Noticias Castellanas!Tristes noticias. La periodista Francisca Sandoval, quien recibió un disparo en el rostro durante las protestas y enfrentamientos ocurridos el pasado 1 de mayo en un barrio de Santiago de Chile —y sobre quien hablamos en el podcast de la semana pasada—, falleció el jueves, producto de las complicaciones causadas por la grave herida que sufrió. Así, se convierte en la primera periodista asesinada en Chile tras la vuelta a la democracia en 1990. El supuesto autor del ataque, Mauricio Naranjo, de 42 años y acusado anteriormente por hurto y narcomenudeo, cumple ahora prisión preventiva y podría ser condenado hasta por 11 años de cárcel.Un fiscal paraguayo que investigaba crimen organizado fue asesinado de dos disparos en una playa ub