Guatemala: UN experts call on President to take concrete action to protect civic space

GENEVA (13 March 2024) – UN experts* today called on the newly elected President of Guatemala and his Government to take concrete action to protect civic space in the country.

“We would like to congratulate the President of the Republic of Guatemala for his election and commend the resilience of Guatemalan society, particularly of Indigenous Peoples, who engaged in peaceful protests for over 100 days to defend democracy, the rule of law and the election result. We call on the President to uphold the trust that the Guatemalan people has placed in the new Government, by undertaking major steps aimed at strengthening civic space and media freedom,” the experts said.

They called for the promotion and comprehensive protection of civic space in Guatemala, with the aim of guaranteeing a safe and enabling environment for associations, human rights defenders and journalists, and civil society as a whole.

“It is essential to guarantee the exercise of fundamental rights, including freedom of peaceful assembly, association, and expression, ensuring that the relevant legislative framework complies with international standards,” the expert said.

The experts have previously expressed concerns about the alleged limitations that were imposed on the free and peaceful exercise of the freedom of opinion, expression, assembly and association, with a focus also on Indigenous Peoples’ rights, in the context of post-election demonstrations. They also raised concerns regarding alleged threats and violence against human rights defenders that are part of an organisation promoting the rights of trans people, as well as the judicial harassment and criminalisation of activists, human rights defenders and journalists, including women. They underlined the importance of independent, free and pluralistic media and expressed concern about the closure and harassment of media organisations (AL GTM 4.2023 , 8.2023 and 9.2023 ).

The experts encouraged Guatemala’s President and his Government to take concrete action to safeguard civic space. They also reaffirmed their availability to provide advice and technical assistance in addressing specific areas of concern, as well as to foster dialogue and cooperation with rights holders and relevant authorities, in order to assist with improving Guatemala’s human rights situation particularly in the context of freedom of peaceful assembly and association, freedom of opinion and expression, protection of human rights defenders and the rights of Indigenous Peoples.