IACHR Applauds the Inauguration of President Arévalo in Guatemala as a Triumph of Democracy and the Will of the People

January 15, 2024

Washington, D.C. — The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) applauds and recognizes the inauguration of Bernardo Arévalo as president for 2024–2028 as part of the triumph of democracy and the resilience of the Guatemalan people throughout their struggle to defend the rule of law.

In the early morning of January 15, 2024, after a questionable delay caused by the Congress of the Republic of Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo and Karin Herrera, the presidential ticket for Movimiento Semilla, took office in the Republic of Guatemala, following the presidential transition process and respecting democratic rule and the sovereign will of the people.

The IACHR expressed its willingness to provide the new government with the technical cooperation needed to address and overcome the serious human rights violations observed in the country, particularly those related to the deterioration of democratic institutions, the independence of the judiciary, and the issues of impunity and corruption.

These serious challenges have already been denounced by the IACHR through its various mechanisms for the protection, defense, and monitoring of human rights, and have led to the adoption of various precautionary measures in favor of members of the judiciary and human rights defenders. Also of note is the inclusion of Guatemala in Chapter IV.B of the 2021 and 2022 Annual Reports, as well as Resolution No. 03/2023 on the instrumentalization of the justice system and the serious risks to the rule of law in Guatemala.

In 2017, the IACHR began alerting the international community to the impact of corruption on human rights through Resolution 1/17, which preceded the Report on Corruption and Human Rights. This issue was addressed extensively in the 2017 country report on Guatemala. It was also the subject of specific recommendations and successive press releases and submissions to the political organs of the OAS.

On this occasion, the IACHR emphasized the importance of adopting measures to strengthen the independence of the judiciary during the selection processes to be held this year for the members of Guatemala's Supreme Courts. The IACHR also calls on the State to cease its misuse of criminal law, in accordance with Inter-American standards; to adopt measures to ensure the safe return of people who gone into exile after they reported experiencing criminal persecution for their work; and to guarantee accountability mechanisms to investigate and determine the corresponding administrative and criminal responsibilities.

The IACHR stands ready to collaborate with the new government in the search for solutions to the challenges identified above, in order to create the conditions necessary to make human rights and respect for human rights a reality the country and to strengthen the rule of law in Guatemala.

The IACHR is a principal and autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS), whose mandate stems from the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. The Inter-American Commission has the mandate to promote the observance and defense of human rights in the region and acts as an advisory body to the OAS on the matter. The IACHR is made up of seven independent members who are elected by the OAS General Assembly in their personal capacity, and do not represent their countries of origin or residence.

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