HRRC welcomes the Guatemalan government’s public apology to the Indigenous leaders who faced criminal prosecution after defending the result of the 2024 elections. However, the apology must be followed by measures that address the harm caused to the leaders and their communities. We urge Guatemalan authorities to strengthen the rights of Indigenous Peoples to organize and and exercise their politics without the fear of persecution.
Felipe Chitic-Luis writes in the Human Rights Research Center (HRRC) about a recent apology provided by President Arévalo for criminalising indigenous leaders for protecting democracy. Thanks to Amnesty International UK.
On October 7, Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo issued a public apology in a ceremony at the National Palace of Culture in Guatemala City. The apology was directed toward five former Indigenous leaders from the 48 Cantones de Totonicapán and the Indigenous Municipality of Sololoá: Luis Pacheco, Héctor Chaclán, Basilio Puac, Esteban Toc, and María Juana Elías.
In October 2023, the five leaders led protests and a nationwide Indigenous-led strike to defend the victory of democratically elected candidate Bernardo Árevalo, who won the August 2023 presidential election, and to oppose judicial efforts to overturn the results. In April 2025, prosecutors in the Organized Crime Unit of the Attorney General’s Office of Guatemala accused Pacheco and Chaclán of terrorism, referring to their roles during the demonstration of 2023. The remaining leaders were also accused of terrorism, in addition to unlawful association, and then arrested in August 2025 and January 2026.
You can read the full piece, with links, here, Guatemala Apologizes to Indigenous Authorities Criminalized for Defending Democracy.
Categories: Accompaniment, Corruption, Criminalisation, Criminalization, Guatemala, Human Rights, Impunity, Indigenous peoples, Justice, Solidarity in Action, Violence
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