Guatemala

The government and the Attorney General’s Office have undermined judicial independence and human rights guarantees in an apparent attempt to avoid accountability for widespread high-level corruption and intimidated journalists and human rights defenders. The Attorney General’s Office has pursued spurious criminal charges against judges and prosecutors investigating corruption and against journalists who cover human rights abuses, and removed prosecutors who were investigating high-level corruption cases. Congress has also delayed or blocked the appointment of hundreds of judges. Harassment and violence against human rights defenders and journalists remain major concerns. Authorities have restricted access to information, including about vaccine purchases and other measures to address the Covid-19 pandemic. Congress has passed legislation restricting reproductive and LGBT rights and the government has participated in abusive anti-immigration policies, including by facilitating the expulsion of migrants to Honduras and deploying the armed forces against migrants at the border. Gang-related violence, extreme weather events, and poverty and inequality drive many people to leave the country.