With little response from the government, “Only The People Save The People” has become the rallying cry. Jackie McVicar writes in America Magazine of the challenges facing the community of Chicoyou in the wake of Hurricane Eta, which struck Central… Read More ›
Corruption
Renewed ‘La Línea’ Investigations Further Implicate Guatemala Officials
Between May 2014 and April 2015, the criminal network known as “La Línea,” took in over 5.1 million quetzales ($666,000) in bribes, and the scheme cost the government at least 14.3 million quetzales ($1.85 million) in taxes. Alex Papadovassilakis writes… Read More ›
Guatemala case reveals how corruption perpetuates itself in Central America
Eric L. Olson writes on the Univision News website about the ongoing attempts, by members of the Guatemala Congress, as well as the country’s business elite, to corrupt the judiciary. Central America’s Northern Triangle Countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras have become… Read More ›
Appointing Judges in Guatemala…From Prison
Guatemala is in the midst of a contentious legal battle, as networks of corrupt politicians and organized crime are trying to exploit the COVID-19 pandemic to attack the country’s courts. They are also disrupting over 100 cases against government officials… Read More ›
Behind the Fight to Hijack Guatemala’s Justice System
Ensuring impartial, professional, and honest officials in Guatemala’s highest courts is crucial to the rule of law, independence of the judiciary, and advancing the fight against corruption. Adriana Beltrán, of Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), outlines the various levels… Read More ›
A pandemic is not the time for reforming judicial nominations in Guatemala
As is the case in many countries across the globe, the COVID-19 pandemic has further undermined the rule of law in Guatemala due to the use of emergency measures to limit fundamental freedoms and blur the separation of powers. Simultaneously,… Read More ›
Judge who protected the son of Jimmy Morales will decide the future of Erika Aifán
The Supreme Court of Justice agreed to process a preliminary judgment against Judge Erika Aifán. The complaint was filed by Wilber Castellanos, known to have been in contact with Gustavo Alejos, currently in jail. What does the resolution say? What… Read More ›
A Crucial Moment for Guatemala’s Fight Against Impunity
Adriana Beltrán, of WOLA (Washington Office of Latin America) hosted a discussion with Helen Mack, Harald Waxenecker and Claudia Escobar. Last year at the U.S.-Mexico border, authorities apprehended more undocumented migrants from Guatemala than from any other country. That’s mostly… Read More ›
Working in fear
Gildaneliz Barrientos writes on the D+C Development and Cooperation website about the challenges facing journalists in Guatemala including murder, threats and acts of intimidation. This is compounded by the lack of protection from the police. In what is unfortunately a… Read More ›
The corruption epidemic in the Guatemalan justice system
Claudia Escobar Mejía writes, in the Global Americans website, about the ongoing, and increasing, infiltration and manipulation of the Guatemalan justice system by corrupt, and criminal, law-makers in the Guatemala Congress. The piece also explains the somewhat arcane process for… Read More ›
Guatemala Solidarity Network 