Guatemala: Anti-corruption demonstration in Guatemala City January 12 /update 7

Event

An anti-corruption demonstration will reportedly take place in Guatemala City on Saturday, January 12. Organizers have called on participants to protest President Jimmy Morales' decision revoke the mandate of the UN-sponsored International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG). Protesters will gather at Plaza Obelisco at 12:00 (local time) and march to the Constitutional Court. A heightened security presence and transportation disruptions are expected in the vicinity of the demonstration.

Context

The CICIG was formed in 2006 when the UN and Guatemala signed an agreement to establish an independent, international body that would investigate and charge serious crime in the country. The CICIG was successful in prosecuting high-profile cases, including extrajudicial killings, drug trafficking, fraud, and a government conspiracy and corruption scandal that involved then-President Otto Pérez Molina and Vice President Roxana Baldetti. The investigation resulted in their resignations and arrest.

The CICIG also sought to charge President Jimmy Morales and his family members with illegal campaign financing and graft. Anti-corruption protests began in Guatemala on September 1, 2018, following an announcement by Morales to not renew the CICIG mandate set to expire in September 2019.

Advice

Individuals in Guatemala are advised to monitor the situation, avoid public demonstrations as a precaution, and anticipate protest, transportation and business disruptions, and a heightened security presence.