[PDF] Guatemala State Of Impunity eBook

Author : Karen Musalo
Publisher :
Page : 29 pages
File Size : 19,57 MB
Release : 2013
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ISBN :

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Building on previous studies, this article provides a brief overview of the prevalence and patterns of violence against women in Guatemala, a country with one of the highest rates of femicide, or gender-motivated killings of women, in the world. It looks at some of the government's nascent efforts to implement laws and policies aimed at preventing and punishing femicide and other gender-based violence, examines statistics that show these efforts have not effectively reduced levels of violence or impunity, and analyzes the principal barriers to effective implementation of the laws. In the end, the article recommends that - beyond the creation of additional specialized courts, continued trainings of justice system officials, and improved investigatory procedures, efforts the Guatemalan government has begun - the Guatemalan government should institute a monitoring program to evaluate the performance of public officials in carrying out their obligations to apply the laws on gender violence. Additionally, the government should create a system to impose disciplinary actions, including ultimate dismissal of those who fail to apply the laws effectively and without gender bias because, ultimately, without a way to evaluate and impose serious sanctions upon public officials tasked with applying the law, there will never be meaningful change.

Author :
Publisher :
Page : 22 pages
File Size : 32,68 MB
Release : 2011
Category : Crime
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"Since it began operations in September 2007, the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (Comisión Internacional contra la Impunidad en Guatemala, CICIG) has brought a degree of hope to a country deeply scarred by post-conflict violence and entrenched impunity. As homicide rates sky-rocketed to rival Mexico's, and criminals fought for territorial control and dominated or corrupted multiple levels of state agencies, the novel independent investigating entity created by agreement between the government and the UN Secretary-General responded to fear that illegal armed groups had become a threat to the state itself. Much remains to be done, however. During the next years the commission should establish the strategic basis for dismantling the illegal security forces and clandestine security organisations (Cuerpos Ilegales y Aparatos Clandestinos de Seguridad, CIACS) over the long term and building Guatemalan justice capacity, including by supporting national ownership of the commission's functions and embedding them within the judicial system"--Page [i].

Author : Fernando Carrera
Publisher :
Page : pages
File Size : 38,49 MB
Release : 2017
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In the last years of the armed conflict, some of the actors that have participated in those clandestine operations re-adapted their modus operandi to fit other types of criminal activities such as customs corruption, large scale smuggling of goods, extortion and kidnapping for economic purposes, and drug trafficking. Control of borders and logistical corridors became also an important feature for their operations, which in turn led to political control of territories and linkages with politicians. In the last years of the armed conflict, some of the actors that have participated in those clandestine operations re-adapted their modus operandi to fit other types of criminal activities such as customs corruption, large scale smuggling of goods, extortion and kidnapping for economic purposes, and drug trafficking. Control of borders and logistical corridors became also an important feature for their operations, which in turn led to political control of territories and linkages with politicians. International Commission to Fight Impunity (CICIG) has played a critical role in using and promoting a legislative framework that enhances criminal prosecution in Guatemala. In this regard, some national laws have been critical for its work. First, the Law Against Organized Crime (LCCO) approved in 2006, before CICIG ́s creation. However, CICIG requested the Guatemalan Congress to consider some reforms in 2009 to allow for more prosecutorial power, using instruments widely known in criminal law but inexistent in Guatemalan legal framework at that time. The reforms were approved, and since then CICIG and the Attorney General Office have used extensively their enhanced capacity.

Author : Open Society Justice Initiative
Publisher :
Page : 9 pages
File Size : 22,19 MB
Release : 2015
Category : International Justice
ISBN :

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The International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala remains an “indispensable partner” in the country’s continuing battle against organized criminality and official corruption, according to this review of the performance of the UN-backed body since it was set up in 2007. The nine-page assessment states: “In the past eight years, CICIG has played a crucial role in Guatemala in strengthening state investigative and prosecutorial institutions, advancing paradigmatic corruption cases and the prosecution of powerful criminals, providing international support for much-needed legal reform, and strengthening-and even safeguarding-state institutions and the democratic system.” CICIG was set up to support the Guatemala’s Public Ministry, the National Police and other institutions in the investigation and prosecution of crimes committed by organized criminal enterprises with strong ties to political and security sector actors. It also works with other state institutions in other activities aimed at dismantling these groups. The commission is a unique joint effort of the United Nations and the Guatemalan government: it receives financial and technical support from the international community, and is led by international staff, but it operates within Guatemalan law and the Guatemalan court system.