The arrival of a U.N. technical team in Guatemala is an important step towards the creation of a commission to investigate and thwart political violence in Guatemala, Human Rights Watch said today. The U.N. team arrived in Guatemala City last week.
The U.N. team will assess the viability of the proposed Commission of Investigation into Illegal Groups and Clandestine Security Apparatuses (CICIACS), which has been endorsed by the government, the human rights ombudsman, and civil society groups in Guatemala.
“The proposal for a commission has the support of all the key actors in Guatemala,” said José Miguel Vivanco, executive director of the Americas Division of Human Rights Watch. “Everyone is now hoping that the U.N. team of experts will find the best way to make it work.”
The role of the proposed commission is to investigate political violence committed by clandestine groups. Over the past three years, there have been an alarming number of attacks and threats against human rights defenders, academic researchers, justice officials, lawyers, witnesses, journalists, and union leaders in Guatemala. There is a widespread consensus among local and international observers that the perpetrators of these acts of violence and intimidation belong to—or are affiliated with—clandestine groups of some form.
The clandestine groups believed responsible for such acts appear to have links with both state agents and organized crime. Human Rights Watch said they pose a significant danger, not only to specific individuals and organizations, but also Guatemalan society as a whole, given their capacity to corrupt public institutions and undermine the rule of law.
In recent weeks, Guatemala has seen a wave of attacks and threats against journalists, including José Rubén Zamora and Juan Luis Font, directors of the newspaper el Periódico.
“The recent attacks have shown that Guatemala needs this sort of investigative commission now more than ever,” said Vivanco.
