Guatemala: Türk fear by reprisals against opposition officials

Mr. Türk’s warning is among them reported in coercion and prosecution of official justice involved with the United Nations International Committee against Ignorance (CICIG), including, most recently, former Commissioner Francisco Dall’Anese.

The UN rights chief called on Guatemalan authorities “to ensure that judges and lawyers can work freely and without fear of reprisals“. An independent judiciary is “essential” for a democratic society, he stressed.

The International Commission against Impunity is an independent body established by the UN-Guatemala agreement in 2007 to conduct corruption investigations. His job was suspended in September 2019 when his mandate was not renewed amid attacks by then-President Jimmy Morales.

Bared to wait

Mr. Türk also warned about power violation of the right to participate in public affairsas the candidates of many presidential and vice-presidential candidates for the upcoming June elections were written by the electoral authorities.

“I am also concerned that presidential and vice presidential candidates from all political spectrums, including Thelma Cabrera, Jordan Rodas and Roberto Arzú, have had theirs. candidates for the June 25 elections refused by the Election Tribunal on seemingly arbitrary grounds,” the High Commissioner said.

Thelma Cabrera was the only local candidate running for president until the decision to remove her from the race. Appeals on all three cases are currently before the Supreme Court.

Judicial independence is at risk

Mr. Türk emphasized that, “the right to participate in public affairs, including the right to vote and stand for election, is a right. universal human rights,” who added that the authorities of the judicial system should “decide cases before them impartially, on the basis of truth and in accordance with the law. without any restrictions or undue influence“.

Earlier this year, the UN rights chief sounded the alarm over similar reprisals in Guatemala, as the country’s special prosecutor’s office against impunity announced arrest warrants against three justice officials, including a former CICIG official.

© UN Photo/Jean Marc Ferré

Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights addresses the biennial high-level conference on the death penalty.

Prepare diligently

When presenting his report on Guatemala to the Human Rights Council in March, Mr. Türk pointed out that between 2021 and 2022, his office has drafted a more than 70 percent increase in the number of justice officials facing intimidation and financial crime in the country.

The injury is related to the authorities’ work on corruption or human rights, Especially those that took place in the area of ​​the civil war from 1960 to 1996. Some have left the country, fearing for their safety.

Guatemala’s human rights record will be examined in January 2023 under the Universal Periodic Review. A significant number of recommendations made as part of that process, by other Member States, relate to it The need to guarantee the independence of the judiciary, protect judicial officers, and strengthen anti-corruption measures and the rule of law.