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Margaret Satterthwaite, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the
independence of judges and lawyers, traveled the country meeting
with judges, lawyers, lawmakers and others, including
Guatemala’s chief prosecutor.
“The instrumental use of criminal law by the Prosecutor
General’s Office appears to amount to a systematic pattern of
intentional and severe deprivation of fundamental rights,
targeted at specific groups,” Satterthwaite wrote in her
preliminary report. “This persecution appears to be
intensifying, as those who have sought to end impunity and
corruption, defend human rights, or speak out against abuses of
power increasingly face digital harassment, threats, and
criminal charges.”
The office is led by Consuelo Porras, who has been sanctioned by
the United States and other countries and accused of being an
obstacle to corruption investigations.
Satterthwaite met with Porras and her staff. They told
Satterthwaite that they acted within the law, denied using
criminal law to pursue opponents and said they were the real
victims of attacks by the executive branch and its allies, the
U.N. expert said.
“Criminal charges have been directed at more than 60 justice
operators and defense or human rights lawyers,” Satterthwaite
said, noting that more than 50 “justice operators” have been
forced into exile by the prosecutor’s office.
Porras’ office said later that it did not agree with
Satterthwaite's preliminary report, because it did not reflect
“the complex work that we do, nor the exhaustive information
that was provided.”
“We energetically reject the idea of a ‘criminalization of
sectors,'" the office said. “Our actions are based on serious,
objective investigations that strictly adhere to the Guatemalan
legal framework.”
President Bernardo Arévalo has tried unsuccessfully to convince
Porras to step down. His office said it agreed with
Satterthwaite's observations about the “criminalization” carried
out by the prosecutor's office and justice system, something the
president repeatedly has called attention to.
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