[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 5602-5603]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   GUATEMALA'S NEXT ATTORNEY GENERAL

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I want to speak briefly about a matter of 
urgent importance for the people of Guatemala and for U.S. relations 
with Guatemala.
  Later this month, President Colom will select Guatemala's next 
Attorney General from a slate of six candidates. This may be among the 
most important decisions he makes this year, at a time when drug 
trafficking and other organized crimes, assassinations of human rights 
defenders, and other social and political activists, corruption, and 
impunity threaten the foundation of Guatemala's fragile democracy.
  In the 3 three months of this year alone, at least five Guatemalan 
human rights defenders, social activists, and trade unionists have been 
murdered, including two members of the Resistance Front for the Defense 
of Natural Resources--its president, Evelinda Ramirez Reyes, and 
Octavio Roblero. Also killed were Juan Antonio Chea, a Mayan indigenous 
lawyer who worked with the Human Rights Office of the Archbishop and 
the National Reparations Program; Pedro Antonio Garcia of the Malacatan 
Municipal Workers Union; and German Antonio Curup, a member of a group 
opposed to the construction of a cement plant in San Juan Sacatepequez. 
Mr. Curup was murdered in particularly brutal fashion--abducted on 
February 11, his body was dumped 2 days later, throat cut and showing 
signs of torture. This type of brutality is not unusual in Guatemala, 
nor is it unusual that no one has been arrested or punished for those 
crimes.
  The 1996 Peace Accords were a historic milestone, ending three 
decades of civil war when government security forces and associated 
death squads and civil patrols targeted anyone who was considered 
subversive. Tens of thousands of rural Mayan villagers, students, 
lawyers, journalists, and other social and political activists were 
arbitrarily arrested, tortured, and killed. The URNG rebels were also 
guilty of atrocities. Almost no one has been punished for those crimes.
  While the Peace Accords spelled out commitments by the government and 
goals for the country's future political, economic, and social 
development, progress has been disappointing. Implementation of many 
elements of the accords has been repeatedly delayed, and widespread 
debilitating poverty, impunity, and women's and indigenous peoples' 
rights remain urgent concerns. These are among the key issues the Peace 
Accords were designed to address, which were at the root of the 
conflict.
  In the meantime, in the absence of a credible or effective justice 
system, corruption has flourished and violent crime has skyrocketed. 
There has also been a steady emigration of poor Guatemalans seeking 
jobs in the United States.
  Effectively confronting these problems requires political will, which 
has too often been lacking in Guatemala. Secretary Clinton expressed 
the willingness of the United States to stand with the Guatemalan 
people during her visit there on March 5, and I hope the Guatemalan 
Government will seize this opportunity to develop ambitious and 
effective strategies to confront these challenges.
  There is no better place to start than by appointing an Attorney 
General who has the integrity, experience, courage, and determination 
to show

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that justice can be a reality for all the people of Guatemala 
regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, or economic status.
  Investigating and prosecuting assassinations of human rights 
defenders, as well as some of the most notorious political crimes, 
should be a priority. The United States is helping through our 
donations to the International Commission against Impunity in 
Guatemala, CICIG. The CICIG is doing an important job and should 
continue, but it is no substitute for an effective Ministry of Justice. 
We are ready and willing to support an Attorney General who 
demonstrates the necessary professional qualifications and commitment. 
But absent those qualifications and commitment, as chairman of the 
State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee, I would find it difficult to 
justify spending more resources on a fruitless quest for justice reform 
in Guatemala.
  A related imperative is reforming Guatemala's police forces, which 
are undertrained, underpaid, underequipped, and infected with 
corruption. President Colom deserves great credit for appointing Helen 
Mack, a widely respected human rights defender, to develop a plan for 
police reform, and I look forward to her recommendations. An Attorney 
General whose integrity matches that of Helen Mack's would be a welcome 
step.
  Guatemala has a troubled history and is facing immense challenges, 
both internally and along its borders, as it is rapidly becoming a 
favorite haven for Latin criminal organizations. Yet as the land of one 
of the most accomplished pre-Colombian civilizations in this hemisphere 
whose indigenous descendants enrich present-day Guatemala in countless 
ways, spectacular tropical forests and towering volcanoes, it is also a 
country with great potential. The United States is prepared to help 
tackle these challenges if Guatemalan Government officials in key 
positions merit our support. I urge President Colom to use the 
opportunity of selecting Guatemala's next Attorney General to send that 
message clearly.

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