Local residents mobilised in protest over construction project in community

Peaceful Assembly

On 5th December 2017, reports showed that police used tear gas to disperse a group of residents from Guanacaste who had gathered to oppose the construction of an aqueduct in their community. The community claims that the project will only benefit the construction company and assert that further studies on the environmental impact must be conducted. Some of the demonstrators, including youth, were affected by the tear gas. Police claimed that the protesters started the confrontation by throwing rocks. 

In a separate incident, a group of workers at a pineapple farm protested over the issue of unjustified dismissals of other workers. In addition, they demanded the payment of their Christmas bonuses. On 12th January 2018, the protesting workers were arrested and held overnight at a police station. Three days later, union representative announced that they had reached an agreement with the pineapple company to end the protest. 

Expression

In the run up to the 4th February 2018 presidential election campaign, candidate Juan Diego Castro attacked media outlets calling them liars and threatening to shut down the outlet - La Nacion. Castro also referred to environmental activists as “eco-terrorists” who hinder the country's development.