Guatemala

Far-right government elected in Guatemala

By Andrea Lobo, 14 August 2019

Marked by low participation and mass protests, the vote was overshadowed by the popular outrage against the “third safe country” agreement imposed by Trump.

As protesters cry: “Guatemala is not a concentration camp”

Guatemalan ruling class braces for repercussions of asylum deal imposed by Trump

By Andrea Lobo, 29 July 2019

The Guatemalan state is being turned into an extension of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), with the militarization of borders and building of concentration camps.

Supreme Court approves construction of Trump’s border wall

By Eric London, 27 July 2019

The ruling is a political victory for Trump and a blow to the separation of powers, dramatically strengthening the power of the executive branch.

Guatemala and El Salvador discuss amnesty for war criminals

By Andrea Lobo, 9 April 2019

The ruling class is calling for forgiving and forgetting the mass murder, torture and other crimes carried out by US-backed dictatorships.

US federal judge allows lawsuit over illegal experimentation on Guatemalan subjects

By Rafael Azul, 21 January 2019

More than 70 years ago, US researchers infected Guatemalans with syphilis and gonorrhea, then left without treating them.

Guatemalan establishment indifferent to deaths of US incarcerated migrant children

By Andrea Lobo, 9 January 2019

The reaction in ruling circles not only reflects their disdain for the country’s impoverished masses, but also their efforts to demonstrate loyal submission to the Trump administration.

Guatemalan government ignored calls for evacuation ahead of deadly Fuego volcano eruption

By Andrea Lobo, 8 June 2018

With at least 101 people dead and another 196 missing, the indifference and negligence of the official response becomes increasingly clear.

Death toll rises as volcanic eruption buries entire towns in Guatemala

By Andrea Lobo, 5 June 2018

When such natural disasters strike a society built on capitalist exploitation and extreme inequality, the poorest and most vulnerable always pay the heaviest price.

Immigrant mother seeks sanctuary from deportation in New York City church

By Josh Varlin, 3 April 2018

Some 40 immigrants are publicly taking sanctuary in US churches to avoid deportation, and no doubt many more are doing so in secret.

Fire in Guatemalan “safe home” for youth kills dozens of locked-in girls

By Andrea Lobo, 11 March 2017

The death of at least 35 girls was the result of the desperate social conditions facing poor youth in Guatemala and underscores the criminality of US deportation plans.

Landslide in Guatemala leaves hundreds dead and missing

By Clodomiro Puentes, 29 October 2015

Unexamined in official warnings of impending disaster are the factors that compel impoverished layers of the population to build homes in disaster-prone areas in the first place.

Guatemalan president jailed after being forced out

By Bill Van Auken, 5 September 2015

Perez Molina, the ousted president and former commander in the genocidal repression of the 1980s, has been placed in a military prison.

Guatemalan high court upholds overturning of Rios Montt conviction

By Bill Van Auken, 30 May 2013

Guatemala’s Constitutional Court Tuesday upheld its decision to throw out the conviction of ex-dictator Efrain Rios Montt on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity.

Guatemala’s high court overturns dictator Rios Montt’s genocide conviction

By Rafael Azul, 21 May 2013

Guatemala’s Constitutional Court has overturned former dictator José Efraín Rios Montt’s 80-year sentence for genocide and crimes against humanity.

Guatemala imposes state of siege against mine protests

By Bill Van Auken, 7 May 2013

The Guatemalan government has imposed a 30-day state of siege to repress protests against a Canadian-owned mining operation.

Ex-General Otto Perez Molina to expand drug war as Guatemala’s new president

By Kevin Kearney, 17 January 2012

Otto Perez Molina, a former army general accused of war crimes in Guatemala’s protracted civil war, assumed office as the country’s president Saturday.

Ex-general set to win Guatemalan presidency

By Kevin Kearney, 23 September 2011

Otto Perez Molina, a former army general during Guatemala’s bloody civil war, won the greatest number of votes in the first round of the country’s presidential election.

Guatemala escalates drug war with a declaration of martial law

By Kevin Kearney, 29 December 2010

Guatemalan president Alvaro Colom unilaterally declared martial law in Alta Verapaz—a state near the country’s northern border with Mexico—eliminating the few political and due process rights of the region’s impoverished indigenous masses.

US agency exploited Guatemalans for lethal medical tests

By Rafael Azul, 5 October 2010

The exposure of a 64-year-old secret study conducted in Guatemala on human subjects by the US Public Health Service has created an international uproar, forcing the US government to issue a belated apology.