International Scrutiny Needed as Attorney General Ramps Up Abusive Prosecutions
Human Rights Watch recently issued a News Release concerning the criminalisation of Indigenous leaders by the Attorney General’s office.
Guatemala’s Attorney General’s Office has detained two Indigenous leaders on spurious terrorism charges tied to their participation in peaceful protests, Human Rights Watch said today.
On April 23, Guatemalan police detained Luis Pacheco and Hector Chaclán in Guatemala City, after prosecutors accused them of serious crimes – including terrorism – in connection with their participation in peaceful protests during Guatemala’s 2023 general elections. Pacheco, who now serves as deputy minister of sustainable development, helped lead protests in response to efforts by Attorney General Consuelo Porras and others to unlawfully overturn the election results.
“Detaining Indigenous leaders under terrorism charges for participating in peaceful protests sends a chilling message to anyone who dares stand up for democratic principles and the rule of law in Guatemala,” said Juanita Goebertus, Americas director at Human Rights Watch. “The authorities should guarantee full due process protections, drop these abusive charges, and release Pacheco and Chaclán.”
You can read the full Release, with links and photos, here, Guatemala: Indigenous Leaders Face Terrorism Charges.
You can read more about the issue in these posts, here, Arrest of Indigenous Leaders Threatens Rights to Free Assembly and Democracy in Guatemala, and here, Expanding Her Enemy List, Guatemalan AG Accuses Indigenous Leaders of Terrorism.
Categories: Criminalisation, Criminalization, Genocide, Guatemala, Human Rights, Impunity, Indigenous peoples, Justice, Mining, Resource Extraction, Solidarity in Action
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