Jody García and Nina Lakhani wrote in The Guardian, recently, on the case of Virginia Laparra, a leading senior anti-corruption prosecutor in Guatemala and the use of what is termed ‘lawfare’ being waged against anti-corruption members of the judiciary by… Read More ›
Criminalisation
The Case against Journalist José Rubén Zamora Was Built in 72 Hours
Julie López writes in El Faro English about the case of José Rubén Zamora, the founder and head of El Periódico, one of Guatemala’s premier news outlets. The president and director of Guatemalan newspaper elPeriódico, José Rubén Zamora Marroquín, and… Read More ›
Washington Post on the arrest of José Rubén Zamora of El Periódico
An opinion piece in the Washington Post has attacked the decision of the Guatemala authorities to arrest the president and founder of the newspaper elPeriódico, José Rubén Zamora, for effectively speaking truth to power. “This is not a case against… Read More ›
Inter-American Court of Human Rights orders urgent measures to protect victims and the judge in the Military Diary case
Jo-Marie Burt writes in WOLA about a resolution of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) ordering the State of Guatemala to protect Miguel Ángel Gálvez, the pretrial judge in the Diario Militar (Death Squad Dossier) case, and to guarantee… Read More ›
Guatemalan Judge under Threat after Ordering Trial in 1980s “Death Squad Dossier” Case
Jo-Marie Burt and Paulo Estrada have written a powerful piece in El Faro on the ‘Death Squad Diary’ case (Diario Militar) moving through the Guatemala justice system. It also talks of the bravery of the families of the victims and… Read More ›
Judge Galvez and his appointment with History
Carolína Vásquez Araya writes a powerful defense of the Judge, Miguel Ángel Gálvez, in her blog, El Quinto Patio. Miguel Ángel Gálvez is one of the last of the judicial hold outs against corruption and tyranny in Guatemala. You can… Read More ›
Using the Law Against Femicide to Deter Journalists
The Committee to Protect Journalists has issued an alert on the criminal suit against three journalists under the ‘violence against women’ law. By using this law, to deter journalists from asking questions, is an interesting and novel use of law-fare… Read More ›
EJ Atlas: Lote Ocho – El Estor, Lake Izabal, Guatemala
After decades of resistance against HudBay minerals and other firms, including court cases in Guatemala and Canada, the local Mayan Q’eqchi’ community managed to stop nickel mining in 2020 officially. The Environmental Justice Atlas is a great resource and it… Read More ›
The Exile of Guatemala’s Anti-Corruption Efforts
Jonathan Blitzer writes in The New Yorker on the group of judges and prosecutors who had been investigating Guatemala’s most powerful officials and who had been forced to flee their homeland. It shows the willingness of the State, and the… Read More ›
Guatemala’s Attorney General Elections: Judicial Independence and Democracy at a Crossroads
Ana María Méndez Dardón and Julia Aikman Cifuentes write in WOLA on the challenges facing an independent judiciary and the consequences for Guatemala’s commitment to fighting impunity when these are essential components of a democratic state. The persecution of independent… Read More ›