TeleSur English recently noted the release, from detention, of Indigenous leaders who had been in detention for 15 months without trial. Luis Pacheco and Héctor Chaclán had also been designated as prisoners of conscience by Amnesty International and they responded to the news.
Guatemala released Indigenous leaders Luis Pacheco and Héctor Chaclán after more than 15 months in detention without trial. The two were granted house arrest while their legal case continues.
Two Guatemalan Indigenous leaders who led 2023 protests supporting President Bernardo Arévalo’s rise to power were released from prison on Wednesday after more than 15 months in detention without trial or conviction.
Luis Pacheco and Héctor Chaclán left the Mariscal Zavala Detention Center after a judge granted them house arrest and set bail at 160,000 quetzales (about $21,000).
The two leaders had been held since April 2025, when the Attorney General’s Office, then headed by Consuelo Porras, opened a case against them over the protests that paralyzed Guatemala for more than 20 days in 2023.
Pacheco was president of the 48 Cantones de Totonicapán Indigenous organization, one of the country’s largest and most respected Indigenous groups. Chaclán served as its treasurer. Under their leadership, thousands of people took to the streets after allegations that Porras, a judge and some politicians were seeking to prevent Arévalo from taking office.
Family members and supporters embraced Pacheco and Chaclán as they walked out of the detention center, which is located inside a military facility. The two men then traveled to the department of Totonicapán to reunite with relatives.
Pacheco thanked the organization and the communities that had supported them during their time in detention.
Amnesty International had designated them as prisoners of conscience and their Americas Director, Ana Piquer, stated that ‘We welcome the fact that Luis Pacheco and Héctor Chaclán will be able to return to their families and communities after being unjustly deprived of their liberty for more than a year. However, the two leaders will not be released immediately. The measure is conditional on each of them paying bail of 160,000 quetzales, meaning that they will remain deprived of their liberty until this requirement is met. In practice, a sum of this magnitude could become an obstacle to implementing the court’s decision.’
Although the decision will allow them to return to their loved ones while the proceedings continue, it does not remedy the human rights violations they experienced during their detention, and their release will not be immediate. Their prolonged imprisonment, unjustified delays in the proceedings and restrictions on the full exercise of their rights remain matters of concern that the authorities must address.
Furthermore, the continuation of the criminal proceedings against them perpetuates the risk of criminalisation faced by those who exercise community leadership, take part in peaceful protests or defend the rights of their peoples. The Guatemalan authorities must ensure that the justice system is not used to punish the legitimate exercise of human rights.
You can read the full note from teleSur, here, Guatemala Frees Indigenous Leaders After 15 Months in Jail and the piece from Amnesty International, here, Guatemala: Luis Pacheco and Héctor Chaclán will be able to return home to their families.
Categories: Accompaniment, Corruption, Criminalisation, Criminalization, Guatemala, Human Rights, Impunity, Indigenous peoples, Justice, Racism, Solidarity in Action, Solidarity in Action/Guatemala
Post comments here