Judicial Reform

Secretary Kerry announced yesterday that the United States plans to provide $5 million to promote justice and accountability in South Sudan, pending Congressional approval. Many South Sudanese have long urged that those responsible for the crimes that have been committed in South Sudan during the current, tragic conflict must be held accountable in order to break the cycle of violence and revenge and build a stable, lasting peace.

A criminal case against President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner seemed to dissolve Monday when a federal prosecutor dropped accusations that she and her foreign minister had conspired to shield Iranians suspected of planning the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center here.

Across Latin America and the Caribbean, the number of people supporting the use of vigilantism, an indicator of distrust in law enforcement and judicial institutions, is significantly increasing according to a recent study by Vanderbilt University’s Latin American Public Opinion Project. Although the study, which is based on surveys from 2004 and 2014, shows that most people throughout the Americas do not support vigilantism, the findings highlight challenges in U.S. security assistance to many countries in Latin American and the Caribbean.

An Argentine prosecutor asked an appellate court on Thursday to overturn a judge’s decision to dismiss allegations filed against President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and her political supporters by another prosecutor, Alberto Nisman, days before his mysterious death from a gunshot wound to the head.