Human Rights News

CONDEMNATION FO THE PUBLIC PROSECUTOR’S RETIREMENT

The organization Amnesty International (AI)
condemned the decision by the justice of
Guatemala to shorten the mandate of the
Public Prosecutor, Claudia Paz y Paz, ending
it in seven months, despite the arduous
struggle against impunity that she has led.
“Amnesty International reflects with
great concern upon” the decision of
the Constitutional Court (CC) to reduce
the Attorney General’s management to
December to May of this year, the group said
in a statement.
AI stated that under the management of
Paz y Paz, the Office of the Attorney General
(Public Prosecutor’s office) were able to “end
a long stagnant period with regards to the
investigations of the serious violations of
human rights that occurred both during
Guatemala’s internal armed conflict, as well
as today.”
With Paz y Paz, the Public Prosecutor began
to pursue the prosecution of persons linked
to “organized crime currently operating in
Guatemala,” articulated AI.
Further more, she undertook the task of
investigating cases of massacres , forced
disappearances, genocide, and crimes
against humanity that were committed
during the war that the country experienced
between 1960 and 1996, to ultimately
punish those responsible , after several
“decades without progress” and inaction,
the organization added .
“What’s important to remember here is
that there were 200,000 victims of the
conflict, including roughly 45,000 victims of
enforced disappearance. Guatemala has an
outstanding debt in justice,” AI said.
This organization that advocates for
human rights suggested that although
“the performance of the Public Ministry
is far from perfect (… ) investigating and
presenting cases is a first and essential step
in obtaining justice” in Guatemala .
According to the Public Prosecutor’s office,
during the management of Paz y Paz,
Guatemala was able to reduce impunity
from 95 % to 70 %.
The Constitutional Court (CC) decided to
shorten Paz y Paz’s leadership period in
February at the request of a lawyer, who
claimed that the position’s four-year term
applies from May to May, even though the
prosecutor took her position on 9 December,
2010. AI hopes that the Court’s questionable
decision “doesn’t reflect a reversal” with
regards to human rights in Guatemala.

FREEDOM OF PRESS

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has released

the World Press Freedom Index 2014, which

reports a significant deterioration of the
situation in countries as diverse as the
United States, the Central African Republic
and Guatemala; conversely, it finds great
improvements in Ecuador, Bolivia and South
Africa.
Cristophe Deloire , RSF Secretary-General,
stated that the World Press Freedom Index
is established based on eight indicators:
the severity of violations against press
freedom, the dimension of pluralism, the
independence of the media, the general
environment and self-censorship, the legal
framework, transparency, and infrastructure.
This year, some countries’ classifications,
including democracies’, appeared to be
greatly affected because they made overly
broad and exorbitant interpretations of the
concept of protection of national security.
On the other hand, this trend reflects the
negative impact that armed conflicts has
had on freedom of information and related
actors.
The previous Index featured 179 countries;
however, this year’s includes 180, adding
Belize in 29th place.
The United States fell 13 places; house
sources and informants sound like a warning
for those who are seeking to disclose
information of general interest about the
sovereign prerogatives of the first world
power.
A rapid collapse of Guatemala is also
reported, due to the clear worsening of
journalists’ insecurity. This is reflected by the
doubling of the number of attacks against
journalists over the past year, and the four
murders that were recorded, as indicated
by the World Press Freedom Index 2014
produced by RSF.

FEMICIDE
According to an analysis by the Guatemalan
Women’s Group (GGM), of the 61 women
murdered in January, 49 percent were
between 16 and 30. Violence against this
group is concentrated in the department of
Guatemala.
The report states that while high in January
2014, the number of murdered women is
lower when compared to the last 3 years –
2011 to 2013 – although the quarterly trend
shows an increase which continues to rise.
Statistics indicate that 61 women were
murdered in the first month of the year, as
compared to 80 in 2013, 71 in 2012, and 65
in 2011. But the latest quarterly estimate
demonstrates a rise in crime.
“Notwithstanding the aforementioned, with
respect to the trend from the last quarter
of 2013 – 72 violent deaths of women
in October; 56 in November and 36 in
December – in January 2014, the number
of victims rose by 41 percent, with 25
more violent deaths of women,” the report
explains.
The report explained that nearly half of
women killed are young; it is estimated
that 49 percent of the dead were between
16 and 30. Violence against this segment
of the population is concentrated in the
department of Guatemala: “in particular, 14
victims were taken to public hospitals in
the city where they died; the bodies of five
women were reported in Villa Canales, and
4 more victims in Zone 18. For their part,
the municipalities of Mixco and Villa Nueva
recorded three victims each, and there were
2 deaths in San Juan Sacatepéquez,” the
report states.
According to GGM, these crimes’ perpetrators
typically use techniques involving firearms,
asphyxia by strangulation, shock or
bleeding. “Three-quarters of all deaths were
committed with firearms; there were also 7
deaths by suffocation; 6 from shock or by
loss of blood.”
The organization stated that this not the Femicide
first time that the Guatemalan justice
system has made “controversial decisions”.
As an example, the organization mentioned
a judgement from May 2013, which
overturned the 80-year prison sentence
given to Efrain Rios Montt on charges of
genocide.

MILITARY COMMISSIONER ON TRIAL
The Eleventh Criminal Court of First Instance
ordered the open trial of José Miguel
Castaneda, a military commissioner involved
in the disappearance of three workers from
Tic Tac, Alta Verapaz, in December 1983.
The judge ordered that the case against
the former soldier would take place in the
trial court of Cobán. Baltazar Milián is also
awaiting trial.