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☆ Massive genocide trial reopens old wounds in Guatemala, 40 years after indigenous slaughter
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( Tara John | Ivonne Valdés | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

In 2018, a Guatemalan court ruled that the army committed acts of genocide, but no one was convicted. Lucas García, 91, was meant to face trial this year with former military intelligence chief Manuel Callejas y Callejas. Robert Nickelsberg/Archive Photos/Getty ImagesBurt said this “expression of racism is extremely profound,” and its knock-on effects are evident in Guatemala today. Survivors from the civil war gather outside the Supreme Court, prior to a hearing in the Ixil Genocide trial, in Guatemala City, Guatemala March 25, 2024. When the trial was due to start at the end of March, Lucas García’s lawyers announced their resignation.

Persons: CNN — Juan Brito López, Brito López, Manuel Benedicto Lucas García, Lucas García, Benedicto Lucas Garcia, Johan Ordonez, Lucas García’s, AJR, Fernando Romeo Lucas García, “ Lucas García, Manuel Callejas y, Callejas, Jesús Silvio, Romeo Lucas García’s, ” Jo, Marie Burt, ”, Robert Nickelsberg, Burt, Efrain Rios Montt, Tiziano Breda, Claudia Paz y Paz, CICIG, ” Silvio, ” Will Freeman, Cristina Chiquin, Bernardo Arévalo, Public Ministry –, Consuelo Porras , hasn’t, Michelle Liang, “, Brito López’s, Catarina Chel, tormenter, Silvia, ” CNN’s Tara John, Ivonne Valdés Organizations: CNN, United, Getty, Association for Justice, Reconciliation, Human, Washington Office, UN, Guatemalan Army, “, Central American, International, Commission, Council, Foreign Relations, Reuters CNN, Public Ministry, US, Network, Solidarity, ” CNN Locations: Pexla, Guatemala City, United Nations, Guatemalan, Guatemala, America, ”, Santa Cruz de Quiche, of Guatemala, New York, Mexico City

Voter turnout was “historic” at 82.33% despite initial security concerns, Ecuador’s National Electoral Council president Diana Atamaint said after polls closed Sunday. “We will inform the country of the first results as the votes are processed,” she said. Ecuador’s Interior Minister Juan Zapata also assured the country in a news conference that there had been no security incidents to report. “Governing Ecuador right now is hell – this presidency is designed to eliminate you from political life,” Freeman said. The new president will have relatively little time to work on a solution to the country’s woes.

Persons: Luisa González, Daniel Noboa, Fernando Villavicencio, Diana Atamaint, “, Atamaint, Juan Zapata, Guillermo Lasso, ” Will Freeman, Rafael Correa, González, César Ortiz, Ortiz, ” Freeman Organizations: CNN, Electoral, Nacional, Council, Foreign Relations, Movimiento Revolución Locations: Ecuador, Sucumbios, America, Belgium, Peru, Colombia, Europe, Quito

☆ Guatemala elections: Troubled vote looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( Tara John | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Torres won 16% of the first-round vote in June with Arévalo coming in with 11.8% of the votes cast. “Guatemalans wanted an option on the ballot where they can vote to reject the current political system. Moises Castillo/APThis is the third presidential cycle Torres has competed in, losing in 2019 to current President Alejandro Giammattei. Guatemala currently recognizes Taiwan, and Arévalo has said he would like Guatemala to have relations with both Taipei and Beijing. Congress is set to be largely controlled by establishment parties following this year’s elections, including the outgoing president’s Vamos party and Torres’ UNE.

Persons: CNN —, Sandra Torres, Bernardo Arévalo –, Torres, Arévalo, “ Guatemalans, ” Will Freeman, backsliding, Arevalo, Cristina Chiquin, Reuters Arévalo, Rafael Curruchiche, ” Curruchiche, “, ” Freeman, Bukele, Alvaro Colom, Moises Castillo, Alejandro Giammattei, Juan José Arévalo, Freeman, Thelma Aldana, Aldana, Luis Von Ahn, Torres ’ Organizations: CNN, Council, Foreign Relations, United, Public Ministry, Reuters, Movimiento Semilla, US State Department, US, European, Unidad Nacional de la Esperanza, Getty, Duolingo, Torres ’ UNE Locations: backsliding, Guatemala, America, United Nations, Guatemala City, Spain, European Union, United Kingdom, Canada, El Salvador, Taiwan, Taipei, Beijing

☆ Guatemala will vote for new president but critics say many anti-corruption candidates were weeded out
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Tara John | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

One of the expelled candidates, the rightwing Roberto Arzú, was a vocal critic of President Alejandro Giammattei. Employees of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) arrange ahead of the general elections in Guatemala City on June 20, 2023. Johan Ordonez/AFP/Getty ImagesIt’s not the first time that Guatemala’s electoral tribunal eliminates presidential hopefuls, but this year’s cycle is happening in rapidly shrinking civic space. Failing battle against corruptionRights groups say graft and impunity accelerated in the country after former President Jimmy Morales dissolved a United Nations-backed anti-corruption commission in 2019. The candidatesThe US and Western allies have raised concerns about the exclusion of presidential candidates in Guatemala.

Persons: CNN —, Sandra Torres, Thelma Cabrera, Carlos Pineda –, ” Will Freeman, Roberto Arzú, Alejandro Giammattei, Cabrera, Pineda, Tik Tok, ”, Johan Ordonez, we’ve, Caren, Jimmy Morales, Consuelo Porras Argueta, Antony Blinken, José Rubén Zamora, Moises Castillo, Porras, –, Kevin López, Giammattei, Freeman, Biden, “, ” Freeman, Western Hemisphere Affairs Brian Nichols, Guatemalans, Maria Consuelo Porras, Mulet, Carin, Edmont, Ríos, Torres, Rios, El, Nayib Bukele, Álvaro Colom, Colom, Efraín Ríos Montt, CICIG Organizations: CNN, Council, Foreign Relations, Twitter, “ Corruption, Constitutional, ” CNN, Getty, Americas Society, United, International Commission, Washington Office, Guatemala Human Rights, USA, Prosecutors, US, State, José Rubén Zamora –, . Press, Patrol, Western Hemisphere Affairs, Public Ministry, United Nations, Agence, France Presse, Analysts Locations: Central America’s, Guatemala, America, Guatemala City, Americas, United Nations, Guatemalan, Central America, American, Washington, United States, Haiti, Nicaragua, France

This would see Lasso resign, triggering snap elections for both the presidency and the National Assembly, according to a clause in the Ecuador’s constitution. While Ricachon believes Ecuador’s president Lasso should complete his mandate, Zamora thinks the president’s time is up and that the country’s problems require a new leader. Once the president wraps up his defense on Tuesday and leaves the legislature, each of Ecuador’s 137 National Assembly members will be accorded ten minutes to speak. Then Saquicela, the National Assembly president, will set a date within five days for the impeachment vote. Members of unions and civil society groups demand that Ecuador's President Guillermo Lasso leave office amid rising crime and insecurity, in Quito, Ecuador May 1, 2023.

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