The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) began a five-day visit to Guatemala on Monday, July 22, to monitor the “impact” of the “weakening” of democracy in the country.
“The purpose of this visit is to observe the impacts of the process of weakening democratic institutions and judicial independence in the country since the last visit” in 2017, the IACHR rapporteur for Guatemala, Andrea Pochak, told the press.
“This will be done with special attention to its impact on the rule of law, democratic institutions and the justice system, as well as the impact on corruption,” he added.
The mission arrived at the invitation of the government of President Bernardo Arévalo and is headed by IACHR President Roberta Clarke.
During your visit, The delegation will meet with government authorities, deputies, indigenous leaders, journalists and social activistsamong others.
The group also plans to meet with “authorities” from the Public Prosecutor’s Office, although Pochak did not specify whether they will speak with Attorney General Consuelo Porras.
In June 2022, amid a wave of arrests of former anti-mafia prosecutors, The IACHR added Guatemala to its blacklist of countries where it observes serious human rights violationswhich also includes Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua.
Last Friday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, at the end of a visit to Guatemala, said he was concerned about the “persecution” against judicial officials, journalists and activists.
Specifically, the IACHR delegation will “observe the human rights situation of groups, especially those in vulnerable situations, from ethnic, racial and gender perspectives,” in addition to verifying “the situation of freedom of expression, citizen security, the rights to memory, truth and justice, as well as economic, social and cultural rights in Guatemala,” according to Pochak.
According to the Argentine lawyer, the delegation will visit the departments of Guatemala, Alta Verapaz, Izabal, Petén, San Marcos, Sololá, Totonicapán and Quetzaltenango, where they will “meet with local authorities” and members of “civil society.”
The mission will hold a press conference on Friday, July 26, to release “preliminary observations” of the visit, which will last throughout the week. For this reason, they will not make any statements to the press during the week.
For further reading: Volker Türk presents report on visit to Guatemala and highlights that “there are still high levels of corruption”
The @IACHR sent a commission to the country to observe “the impacts of the weakening of democratic institutions and judicial independence in the country since the last visit in 2017” according to Andrea Pochak, rapporteur for GT @Guatevision_tv @free Press pic.twitter.com/B2k5EOWdDx
— Leslie Sanchez (@lsanchez_gtv) July 22, 2024
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