A recent report by Amnesty International has revealed the use of intimidation, harassment and criminalization as tools against justice operators and human rights defenders in Guatemala. The report, published last Thursday, offered a disturbing look at the widespread use of multiple forms of gender-based violence and discrimination. This campaign has been particularly aggressive against women in professional roles within the legal sector and active human rights defenders.
By analyzing patterns of criminalization and harassment since 2018, the report observed official misconduct including improper criminal prosecution, trials without due process, online attacks, personal harassment, arbitrary detention, and even exile. Female justice operators and human rights defenders subjected to these practices often suffer substantial psychosocial impacts, with inadequate protections against misogynistic attacks in courts, tribunals, and digital spaces.
According to the testimony received by Amnesty International, these attacks have included misogynistic remarks and gestures, online threats and harassment, and manipulated photos shared on social media. The objective of such methods is an attempt to undermine these women both as professionals and as human rights defenders.
Guatemala, despite significant stride in combating corruption, has been targeting the very individuals engaged in holding government officials accountable. These practices have been systematic and deliberate, contributing to the erosion of the country’s justice system. This is happening to such an extent that those who have reported or investigated corruption cases themselves end up on trial, or worse, in prison.
The Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (IACHR) reported in March 2024 that 126 human rights defenders were murdered in the Americas in 2023. In Guatemala alone, this figure included three murders within the final four months of the year.
Amnesty International’s recommendations to Guatemalan authorities included a call for public recognition and protection of the work of justice operators, and the crafting of comprehensive policies to that effect. It also highlighted the need for reparation policies for those who have been wrongly criminalized as well as an insistence on an independent judiciary within the framework of international human rights standards.
Furthermore, Transparency International had previously flagged Guatemala as a “country to watch” in their 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index. Scoring just 23 on a scale of zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very corrupt), it underlines a need for concern when the global average sits at 43.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has also voiced his concern over the state of human rights in Guatemala. He has claimed the rule of law to be at risk due to the low level of accountability among government officials.
The escalation of institutionalized harassment and the erosion of a functioning judicial system contribute to the human rights crisis in Guatemala. As the nation continues to fight corruption, it must simultaneously address the need to protect its citizens, particularly those working towards holding the corrupt accountable.