The International Association of People’s Lawyers (IAPL) have noted the sentencing of Virginia Laparra to a four year jail term, further undermining the fight against corruption in Guatemala, the corruption being carried out by the business and military elites, as well as by members of state bodies.
A Guatemalan court on Friday handed down a four-year jail term to a senior anti-corruption prosecutor in what critics assailed as a blatant effort to undermine a fight against corruption.
The sentence against Virginia Laparra, who has been imprisoned for 10 months already, was announced by Judge Oly Gonzalez after an unusually speedy 18-day trial that was largely confined to testimony from police, government functionaries and a judge once investigated for corruption.
Gonzalez said Laparra was convicted for “abuse of authority” and given a commutable term of four years, which, under Guatemalan law, means she could pay a fine and see her term reduced.
Laparra wept as she heard the sentence.
“This is a legal aberration and a terrible precedent,” she said.
Amnesty International lambasted the conviction as a travesty.
“This conviction is yet another example of the criminalization of justice workers in Guatemala,” said Erika Guevara Rosas, Americas director for Amnesty International. “Virginia Laparra is a prisoner of conscience who is paying a high price for conducting her work as an anti-corruption prosecutor.
You can read the full piece, with links, here Anti-corruption prosecutor in Guatemala given 4-year jail term.
Categories: Corruption, Criminalisation, Guatemala, Human Rights, Impunity, Justice, Legal, Violence
Guatemala Solidarity Network 
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