Day 3 Report from the Genocide Trial of Guatemalan Ex-Dictator Efraín Ríos Montt

Beisdes the coverage from the Open Society Justice Initiative, the Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA) is also filing reports and live tweeting from the genocide trial of former dictator Efraín Ríos Montt and ex-intelligence chief Mauricio Rodríguez Sánchez. Here is an excerpt of NISGUA’s Day 3 report, along with some tweets from […]

  • Mar 22, 2013
  • 8:45 AM

VIDEO from Democracy Now!: Guatemala Tries Ex-Dictator Efraín Ríos Montt on Genocide Charges

This week the trial of Guatemala’s ex-dictator Efraín Ríos Montt began. Democracy Now! featured this story today on their show. Here is the video: The show’s site also provided more context about this historic trial: In Guatemala, a landmark trial is underway against former U.S.-backed dictator Efraín Ríos Montt on charges of genocide and crimes […]

  • Mar 20, 2013
  • 2:00 PM

Center-Left Surprise in Guatemalan Elections

Left-of-center opposition legislator Bernardo Arévalo shattered all forecasts, seizing second place in Guatemala’s presidential elections on Sunday and advancing to an August runoff. Arévalo will face political boss Sandra Torres.

  • Jun 26, 2023
  • 12:28 PM

Guatemala: Electoral Officials Clear Path for Conservative Candidate, Daughter of Ex-Dictator

After candidate registration for Guatemala’s June elections closed this weekend, electoral authorities, toeing the line for far-right political operatives, have spuriously excluded two presidential tickets, clearing the way for conservative Zury Ríos.

  • Mar 28, 2023
  • 3:40 PM

EL FARO ENGLISH: Who Will Inherit Giammattei’s Power in Guatemala?

Nine months before the presidential election, the country’s right-wing regime is fracturing into rivaling projects as progressive groups discuss the elusive idea of a united candidacy. Meanwhile, electoral authorities are indulging the pre-campaigning by the ruling party and top conservative Zury Ríos.

  • Oct 5, 2022
  • 5:18 PM

From EL FARO ENGLISH: New Targets of Lawfare Against Guatemalan Justice

Guatemala, in Brief: The persecution of independent judges and prosecutors pressed onward with the order to put former top state attorney Virginia Laparra on trial. The shady Foundation against Terrorism, lead architect of the legal attacks that have already pushed two-dozen anti-corruption operators into exile, has named among its next targets the human rights ombudsman and three of the country’s most influential judges.

  • Jun 8, 2022
  • 12:38 PM

From EL FARO ENGLISH: On Anniversary of Peace, Memory Is the Enemy

El Salvador and Guatemala just eclipsed 30 and 25 years, respectively, since the accords that ended their armed conflicts. Despite recent attacks on judicial independence in both countries and intense polarization surrounding the landmark agreements, the courts granted new openings for two watershed civil war-era cases.

  • Jan 18, 2022
  • 11:56 AM

VP Harris Meets With Guatemalan Justice Leaders Before Visit

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris met with a group of leading voices on Guatemala’s troubled justice system Wednesday, sending yet another signal to Central American governments that the U.S. government is interested in addressing the region’s corruption.

  • May 20, 2021
  • 11:30 AM

Guatemala Begins Reshaping Court as Corruption Concerns Grow

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Guatemala’s Congress began reshaping the country’s highest court Tuesday, selecting a new magistrate and an alternate in decisions that could have grave consequences for the battle against corruption and impunity.

  • Mar 3, 2021
  • 4:19 PM

Would Ousting Trump Rebuild the Country’s Faith in Government? Lessons From Latin America

The current political crisis in the United States shares similarities with political issues in Latin America.

  • Sep 26, 2019
  • 5:47 PM

Is Cutting Central American Aid Going to Help Stop the Flow of Migrants?

Like many experts, I argue that slashing aid is counterproductive because foreign assistance can address the root causes of migration, such as violence and poverty.

  • Jun 21, 2019
  • 11:52 AM

Guatemalan Democracy in Crisis as Elections Approach

On June 16, the country will go to the polls to elect a successor to former comedian Jimmy Morales, who rode a wave of anti-corruption protests to office as an outsider candidate in 2015.

  • Jun 14, 2019
  • 12:18 PM

Guatemalan Presidential Candidate Banned From Running

Zury Ríos Sosa had previously said that the ban goes against her rights as a candidate and those of her supporters willing to elect her.

  • May 15, 2019
  • 9:20 AM

Trump Declares National Emergency for Border Wall Funding

The announcement arrived after the U.S. Senate passed a border security plan yesterday to avert a government shutdown.

  • Feb 15, 2019
  • 12:15 PM

Mexicans Indignant Over Light Sentence in Infamous Duarte Corruption Case

Javier Duarte’s case has been cast as emblematic of pervasive corruption in the long-dominant Institutional Revolution Party.

  • Sep 28, 2018
  • 3:31 PM

The Rodríguez Sánchez Genocide Trial: Verdict Expected September 26

The trial court is expected to deliver its ruling later that day.

  • Sep 26, 2018
  • 8:18 AM

Guatemala’s History of Genocide Hurts Mayan Communities to This Day

July 18 marks 36 years since the Plan de Sánchez massacre. he search for justice Tfor the genocide’s victims continues.

  • Jul 18, 2018
  • 6:09 PM

In Surprise Show of Support for Marriage Equality, Costa Rica Elects Ruling Party Candidate to Presidency

Carlos Alvarado Quesada won handily in Sunday’s run-off, with more than 60 percent of the vote.

  • Apr 2, 2018
  • 11:03 AM

Would Impeaching Trump Restore the Rule of Law? Lessons From Latin America

The current political crisis in the United States shares similarities with political issues in Latin America.

  • Jul 17, 2017
  • 5:48 AM

Democracy Is Dead in Guatemala

The election of military-backed conservative comedian Jimmy Morales as president of Guatemala proves the system of corruption is alive and kicking.

  • Oct 26, 2015
  • 1:46 PM

American Terror (Just in Latin America)

September 11 is the day of mourning in the United States. But how many are there on the Latin American calendar?

  • Sep 11, 2015
  • 12:06 PM

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