UN Expert Says Guatemalan Prosecutor's Office Using Criminal Law to Pursue Opponents

UN expert says Guatemalan prosecutor's office using criminal law to pursue opponents

A United Nations expert has warned at the conclusion of her two-week visit that Guatemala’s prosecutor’s office is increasingly using criminal law against former prosecutors, judges, defense attorneys, journalists and others.

Guatemala City, Guatemala. A special rapporteur of the UN asked this Friday the questioned prosecutor general of Guatemala to stop the criminalization of people who “fight against corruption.” Since 2021, the prosecutor Consuelo Porras, criticized and sanctioned by the international community, has opened controversial investigations against dozens of former anti-mafias, judges, independent lawyers and journalists, among others, many of them in e…

The Special Rapporteur on the independence of United Nations judges and lawyers, Margaret Satterthwaite, questioned her visit to Guatemala on Friday for maintaining a policy of criminalization against groups, such as judicial operators, social leaders or journalists, for her allegations against corruption.

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, Margaret Satterthwaite, said Friday that Guatemala’s Public Prosecutor’s Office has implemented a criminalization policy, which, she said, is aimed primarily at individuals and groups fighting corruption and impunity. Satterthwaite gave these statements at the end of a 12-day visit to the country. During her stay, she assessed the situation of the justice system und…