Weekly Report - 22 October 2026 (WR-26-42)

Two days after Costa Rica’s right-wing president, Laura Fernández, inaugurated the country’s first mega prison, Centro de Alta Contención y Crimen Organizado (Cacco), modelled on the notorious Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (Cecot) facility constructed by El Salvador’s authoritarian president, Nayib Bukele [WR-26-41], Fernández travelled to El Salvador to meet Bukele and see Cecot first-hand. Cacco’s construction and Fernández’s visit reflect the current popularity of the hardline Bukele security model, which has inspired imitations elsewhere in Latin America, including Chile, Peru, and Colombia, all now led by right-wing presidents.