GENEVA (20 September 2018) – Guatemala must adopt all necessary measures to fully ensure that judges and magistrates perform their duties with full independence and guarantees, says UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers Diego García-Sayán.
“I am seriously concerned about the attacks and intimidation which have been aimed at Constitutional Court judges because of the cases they deal with, in particular incidents arising from the current situation in the country because of decisions taken by the Government,” said Mr. García-Sayán.
The UN expert pointed specifically to the Executive’s decision to refuse the head of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), Iván Velásquez Gómez, to enter the country, and its decision not to extend the mandate of the Commission, which he stressed was very important in the fight against impunity and corruption.