Increase in human rights abuses, repression curbed corruption in Cuba and Nicaragua, says report

Corruption in Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Cuba has reached an all-time low according to the latest corruption index released by Transparency International. 

The high levels of corruption in the three countries have been in part due to more organized crime on behalf of public institutions, co-optation by political and economic elites, and increased human rights abuses, according to the Berlin-based anti-corruption group. 

"Weak governments fail to stop criminal networks, social conflict, and violence, and some exacerbate threats to human rights by concentrating power in the name of tackling insecurity," said Delia Ferreira Rubio, head of Transparency International. 

Transparency International compiles an annual Corruption Perceptions Index, which ranks countries based on their perceived levels of corruption. 

In Latin America, Venezuela ranked the lowest with a score of 14 on a scale of zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). It was followed by Haiti with a score of 17, Nicaragua with 19, Honduras with 23, and Guatemala with 24. 

Cuba’s historic low is due to the “ongoing repression” and “absolute lack of any kind of freedom in the country,” according to one of Transparency International’s researchers. Nicaragua’s ranking has fallen due to the repression of the political opposition, human rights abuses, and the crackdown on free speech. 

According to the report, Guatemala and Honduras have seen state institutions co-opted by political and economic elites and organized crime, along with weak and unaccountable public institutions and fueling insecurity.