For the Guatemalan ‘pacto de corruptos’ regime, the legal system is a tool of repression to be used not only against land and environmental defenders, but also against judges, prosecutors and lawyers who working honestly on war crimes and organized crime investigations and trials, all of which implicate the economic, military and political elites that comprise the ‘pacto de corruptos’.
Illegal jailing of lawyers defending illegally jailed director of el Periodico newspaper
In 2022, Jose Rubén Zamora, director of el Periodico newspaper, was jailed on trumped up charges. On April 20, his lawyers were jailed on trumped up charges, for defending him. The Prensa Comunitaria published this report on now jailed lawyer Juan Francisco Solórzano Foppa.
Solórzano Foppa recusa a Fredy Orellana y lo señala de ser juez y parte en el proceso
Por Regina Pérez, April 24, 2023
https://prensacomunitaria.org/2023/04/solorzano-foppa-recusa-a-fredy-orellana-y-lo-senala-de-ser-juez-y-parte-en-el-proceso/
Ruben Zamora’s defense lawyers Justino Brito and Solórzano Foppa. @ Regina Pérez
As the Guatemalan regime maintains full political, military and economic relations with the U.S., Canada, the E.U, etc., neither Ruben Zamora nor his defense lawyers will get out of jail anytime soon.
Virginia Laparra, former anti-corruption prosecutor, sentenced to four years in jail
The Prensa Comunitaria reports that on April 25 a Court of Appeals will hear an appeal filed by the defense of Virginia Laparra, against the sentence of four years issued by Judge Oly González in December 2022.
Sala que denegó arresto domiciliario a Laparra conocerá apelación de su sentencia
Por Regina Perez, Prensa Comunitaria, April 24, 2023
https://prensacomunitaria.org/2023/04/sala-que-denego-arresto-domiciliario-a-laparra-conocera-apelacion-de-su-sentencia/
Virginia Laparra. @Juan Rosales
As the Guatemalan regime maintains full political, military and economic relations with the U.S., Canada, the E.U, etc., it is unlikely Virginia Laparra will get out of jail soon.
Find here an archive (https://rightsaction.org/other-war-crimes-trials-archives) of articles and reports Rights Action has published / re-published, documenting this hijacking of the legal system, to then use it against human rights and justice defenders, land and environmental defenders.
Courageous reporting of Prensa Comunitaria
It is hard to overstate the importance of Prensa Comunitaria, the only media outlet reporting daily and properly on the breadth and depth of corruption and impunity in Guatemala, … at great risk to the people who work there.
Made in the U.S. and Canada
Share this information widely across the U.S. and Canada. Since a U.S. backed military coup ousted Guatemala’s last democratic government in 1954, the 69-year nightmare of corruption and exploitation, repression and impunity is a problem made in the U.S. and Canada, kept in place in partnership with Guatemala’s Pacto de Corruptos.
La lucha sigue
As always, the struggle continues. Find below information about how to support land and human rights defenders, justice and democracy activists in Guatemala.
Grahame Russell
info@rightsaction.org
More information
FAMDEGUA, Asociación Familiares de Detenidos-Desaparecidos de Guatemala, famdegua@gmail.com, https://www.facebook.com/FAMDEGUAG/, https://twitter.com/FamdeguaG
Verdad y Justicia en Guatemala, https://www.facebook.com/VerdadJusticiaG, https://twitter.com/VerdadJusticiaG/
Tax-Deductible Donations (Canada & U.S.)
To support human rights and justice struggles in Honduras and Guatemala – including organizations like FAMDEGUA, supported by Rights Action, make check to "Rights Action" and mail to:
U.S.: Box 50887, Washington DC, 20091-0887
Canada: Box 82552 RPO Corktown, Toronto ON, M5A-1T8
Credit-card donations: https://rightsaction.org/donate/
Direct deposits, write to: info@rightsaction.org
Donate securities, write to: info@rightsaction.org
Act / Stir up the pot / Chip away
Keep sending copies of Rights Action information (and that of other solidarity groups/ NGOs) to family and friends, your networks, politicians and media outlets, asking: ‘When will there be binding legal and political accountability for how our governments, companies and investment firms help cause, benefit from and turn a blind eye to corruption and impunity, and to poverty, repression environmental harms in countries like Honduras and Guatemala (and beyond)?’
U.S. Senate: https://www.senate.gov/senators/contact
U.S. House: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative
Canadian Parliament: https://www.ourcommons.ca/Parliamentarians/en/members
