The European Commissioner for Equality, Helena Dalli, called the proliferation of judicial proceedings against independent judges, prosecutors and jurists in Guatemala as “worrying” on Wednesday, and warned that the space for civil society in this country “to act free of obstructions” is “diminishing”.
In a debate on the country's situation in the European Parliament, the Commissioner stressed that overall relations between Guatemala and the community bloc are “positive” and thanked the country for its alignment in condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but noted that the European Union is concerned about setbacks in the State of right.
“We call on the authorities to ensure the safety of detainees and their rights to a fair trial,” said Dalli, who recalled that the judges, prosecutors and lawyers concerned have previously been involved in investigating corruption cases and facing intimidation campaigns and threats in the media.
Some twenty Guatemalan justice officials have been forced to go into exile in recent months because, according to the majority, they have suffered “criminalization” against them by the attorney general.
Most of the exiles are prosecutors who participated in the anti-corruption fight in Guatemala that took place between 2014 and 2020, a struggle that was greatly weakened by the Guatemalan government's expulsion of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) in 2019.
The EU, Dalli said, will continue to monitor the situation and promote the need to work closely with civil society, while making further calls for human rights and the rule of law to be respected in this country.
In the latest IACHR press release on the situation in Guatemala, the commission expressed concern at the harassment of justice operators because these events occur in “a context of severe setbacks in the fight against impunity and corruption in Guatemala.” According to Guatemalan Foreign Minister Mario Búcaro, “this annual report does not correspond to the reality of my country, Guatemala is a democratic nation and a rule of law,” he said.
Last week a journalistic investigation revealed how the president's three sons, a few months after receiving the government, changed their homes for luxury apartments valued in millions of quetzals purchased in the name of “cardboard” or fictitious companies.
(With information from EFE)
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