payments despite not belonging to gangs. The hostages were released after officials returned the Barrio 18 leaders to El Infiernito. parade in Guatemala City celebrated the International Day against Homophobia. On January 4, unknown assailants tortured and killed Mayan spiritual guide Jesus Choc Yat in Quiche. Limited Visit our website forTravel to High-Risk Areas. On September 20, indigenous rights defender Ramon Jimenez was found dead with gunshot and blunt weapon wounds in El Volcan, Jalapa. time using pre-screened, vetted transportation services, including Uber. The second, also a member of OTRANS, Cecy Caricia Ixtapa, was killed in the interior of the country. The law prohibits torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, but there were cases of prison officials negligence that allowed prisoners to experience violence and degrading conditions. medical specialists are U.S. trained and certified. is the blocking of major routes throughout the country. The Transurbano case involving former president Alvaro Colom, 10 of his ministers, and former chief of staff Gustavo Alejos Cambara, involved a 2008 agreement signed by the ministers that allowed the urban bus company to form anonymous corporations and begin siphoning funds from a prepaid fare program. injuries to the robbery suspects. During the dams construction from 1975 to 1985, more than 400 individuals died, and thousands were displaced. Review the State Departments On January 16, an unnamed assailant shot Xinka leader and activist Julio David Gonzalez Arango at his home. at the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala City. The situation worsened during the pandemic and labor experts reported on some employers from the apparel industry not providing personal protective equipment and ignoring COVID-19 safety guidelines. de Transito de Guatemala reported 6,510 motor-vehicle accidents, 1,585 deaths, police lack sufficient personnel and training to accomplish their mission. Care in private hospitals is Despite numerous allegations of corruption among the legislative and executive branches of the government, few high-profile cases were prosecuted during the year, and anticorruption efforts within the judiciary stalled. Sexual assault, inadequate sanitation, poor medical care, and significant overcrowding placed prisoners at significant risk. Many of these groups, however, were the subject of harassment and threats, and they faced pressure and attacks from government actors. highway robberies include accusations that police, or assailants dressed as After being inactive in the first quarter of 2020, the National Tripartite Commission met virtually after March 2020. The Labor Ministry reopened during the year after closing because of COVID-19 restrictions, but its labor rights enforcement performance did not improve. page. Guatemala crime rate & statistics for 2019 was 24.95, a 11.61% decline from 2018. The Public Ministry indicted seven other defendants, former members of the civil defense patrols, on the same charges in 2018. Guatemala historically has had one of the highest violent crime rates in A total of 89 extortion-related homicides 3.5 miles from the Embassy. Guatemala: Drug Trafficking and Violence | Crisis Group In Guatemala in 2019, with approximately 2.6 million registered tourists having The ministry established a hotline to receive complaints, but workers stated that often no one answered their calls. In February 2020 Public Ministry investigations found that while in prison on corruption charges, Gustavo Alejos, former chief of staff under then president Alvaro Colom, accepted at least 20 visits from officials associated with the selection process in his hospital ward in the days before the selection committees provided their lists. If authorities do not recognize a strike as legal, employers may suspend or terminate workers for absence without leave. assailants have worn full/partial police uniforms and have used vehicles that NGOs asserted the government did little to investigate the reports or prevent further incidents. evacuation to the United States can be costly. medical specialists are U.S. trained and certified. Also see the Department of States Trafficking in Persons Report at https://www.state.gov/trafficking-in-persons-report/. climbers. Narcotics trafficking is widespread, and large portions of the department are under the influence of drug trafficking organizations. President Giammattei declared a state of public calamity on August 14, which included a 10 p.m. nightly curfew for all citizens except emergency workers and food delivery workers. bulk of narcotics-related crimes occur near the Mexican border region. May 1, 2019, an attempted robbery occurred within a block of the U.S. Ambassadors A Guatemalan court has issued an arrest warrant for exiled anti-corruption prosecutor Juan Francisco Sandoval, ending any chance that he will soon return to Guatemala and resume his former work investigating the country's highest-profile graft cases. targeted extortion attempts. You are about to leave travel.state.gov for an external website that is not maintained by the U.S. Department of State. The sitting Supreme Court and 269 appellate court judges remained in their positions. The commercial sexual exploitation of children, including child sex tourism, remained a problem, including in privately run orphanages. as gay or transgender is currently not available. U.S.-Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement provides for With the intervention of central authorities and the PDH, some individuals in need of protection were able to access the asylum process, although only 29 of the 486 cases filed in 2020 were adjudicated as of October. Openly gay and HIV-positive congressman Aldo Davila reported death threats because of his public denunciations of corrupt officials. Barrio 18 intended to attack taxi drivers to pressure them into paying suffer from a lack of supplies (e.g. pickpockets and purse-snatchers are active in all cities and tourist sites. The Public Ministry recorded 44,229 instances of violence against women from January to August, compared with 39,399 in the same period of 2020. Guatemalan Management often manipulated employer-provided transportation to worksites to force employees to work overtime, especially in export-processing zones located in isolated areas with limited transportation alternatives. has experienced a number of historically significant earthquakes above 7.0. in Guatemala City eight miles north of the U.S. Embassy. There are laws that restrict women from working in certain sectors, including in jobs deemed morally inappropriate. FBI warrantless searches of Americans' data plummet in 2022, intel They include former members of the military, intelligence agencies and active members of the police. Most of the cases were documented in social media with videos taken by civilians. Rape and Domestic Violence: The law criminalizes rape of men or women, including spousal rape, and sets penalties between five and 50 years in prison. The courts had not sentenced approximately 18 percent of juvenile inmates held in detention. On October 24, President Giammattei declared a 30-day state of siege in El Estor after dozens of protesters, including environmental defenders and indigenous activists, blocked coal trucks from accessing the mine and clashed with PNC forces who attempted to clear the road for mining traffic. The law prohibits such actions, and the government generally respected these prohibitions, but there were credible reports of harassment of the families of officials. Observers noted that net centers, or collections of social media accounts operating from office buildings associated with government information sources, increased activity creating fake social media accounts to criticize and defame journalists. subsequent pyroclastic flows and lahars have caused at least 188 deaths, left Taxi drivers can be The government does not, however, recognize particular indigenous groups as having a special legal status provided by national law. vigilantism, including stoning, lynching, and immolation. Human rights in Guatemala Amnesty International The law does not provide for the right of workers to remove themselves from situations that endanger health or safety without jeopardy to their employment. expect immediate cash payment for health services, although most private sporadic police presence in rural areas cause significant underreporting. Police had minimal training or capacity to investigate sexual crimes or assist survivors of such crimes, and the government did not enforce the law effectively. U.S. Department of State has assessed Guatemala City as being a. Inspections were generally not comprehensive, and if complaint driven, focused on investigating the alleged violation rather than attempting to maximize limited resources to determine compliance beyond the individual complaint. The PNC Internal Affairs Division conducts internal surveillance of PNC officers performance and follows a disciplinary process with an internal tribunal to decide cases. Access to Basic Services: Documentation needed to access government services, including health care, remained expensive and time-consuming to complete. Guatemala historically has had one of the highest violent crime rates in Former SBS secretary Carlos Rodas and former deputy secretary for protection and shelter services Anahi Keller remained in pretrial detention with four others on charges of murder, abuse of authority, breach of duty, and abuse against minors following the deaths of 41 girls in the 2017 fire at the Hogar Seguro orphanage. Plan and research routes The Public Ministry maintained a 24-hour victim service center to provide medical, psychosocial, and legal support to victims, including restraining orders for their immediate protection. of people to support their cause. victims are walking or driving in well-known, well-traveled areas, including While the judiciary was generally impartial and independent in civil matters, it suffered from inefficiencies and a legal system that often permitted spurious complaints. Several municipalities lack police presence, and local police may lack the resources to respond effectively to serious criminal incidents. the Consular Travel Advisory System, The travelers. Indigenous children also worked in street sales and as shoe shiners and bricklayer assistants. At least one journalist was killed during the year; in July, activist and journalist Frank Stalyn Ramazzini was killed in Guatemala City. Below are some examples that illustrate detained individuals. extreme violence (e.g. to the police. Corruption and Lack of Transparency in Government, Section 5. The PNC did not provide further information on any of these cases. The threats often included harassing mentions of his sexual orientation. The local NGO nearly eleven tons of cocaine in 2019. Another commonly held belief is that household staff could be complicit in home Remain cautious when On Several labor leaders reported death threats and other acts of intimidation. mudslides, and landslides pose a major risk to urban and rural areas alike. support Uber and have engaged in physical confrontations with Uber drivers. The main road to Lake Atitln via the Inter-American - - Authorities did not release some prisoners after they completed their full sentences due to the failures of judges to issue the necessary court order or other bureaucratic delays. assailants. The law prohibits arbitrary arrest and detention, but there were credible reports of extrajudicial arrests, illegal detentions, and denial of timely access to a magistrate and hearing as required by law. International Child Abductions: The country is a party to the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. front of the U.S. Embassy in advance of a visit by U.S. House of Representatives These violations, particularly common in export and agricultural industries, resulted in limiting or denying employees access to the public health system and reducing or underpaying workers pension benefits during their retirement years. should be especially careful when traveling alone. getty. In March 2019, Congress passed the second of three required. Significant human rights issues included credible reports of: harsh and life-threatening prison conditions; arbitrary arrest and detention; transnational repression against individuals in another country, including threats, harassment, surveillance, coercion, and misuse of international law enforcement tools; serious problems with the A 2020 labor rights defenders report noted that 70 percent of the claims before the Public Ministry concerning labor violations were for failure on the part of the employers to respect a judicial order in the labor case. The PNC initially detained 11 of the 17 individuals and detained a 12th when he voluntarily attended a related judicial proceeding. Human rights defenders, journalists, as well as judges and lawyers on high-profile cases, reported social media attacks, including the hacking of their private social media accounts, publishing of stolen or falsified personal information, publishing of photographic surveillance of them and family members, and online defamation and hate speech. Visitors should not leave drinks unattended in bars and restaurants and are advised to decline invitations from strangers to private parties or gatherings. Guatemala - InSight Crime The government provides legal representation for indigent detainees, and detainees have access to family members. display of affluence, or by not following sound personal security practices. CRIME AND INSECURITY IN GUATEMALA AP Photo: Rodrigo Abd CRIME AND INSECURITY IN GUATEMALA Evaluating State Capacity to Reduce Violence and Combat Organized Crime JULY 2020 | SERIES 1 In these instances, narco-traffickers will use brutal force to From January through August 31, the Special Prosecutors Office for Crimes against Judicial Workers and Unionists received 69 complaints of threats or aggression against workers in the judicial branch and 53 complaints against prounion activists, for a total of 122 complaints, compared with 194 in 2020. is the blocking of major routes throughout the country. families and employees and depart the area after offloading all drugs onto The law prohibits the execution of warrants between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. unless the government has declared a state of siege. Although the labor inspectorate hired seven additional officers and started the process to hire seven more, the number of inspectors was still insufficient to successfully enforce labor law. The law explicitly prohibits discrimination with respect to employment or occupation based on race, color, sex, religion, political opinion, national origin or citizenship, age, and disability. trademarks, including those of some major U.S. food and pharmaceutical brands Another three meetings are planned for early 2022 to finish the preconsultation process. The law does not prohibit all the worst forms of child labor. Guatemala 2020 Crime & Safety Report This is an annual report produced in conjunction with the Regional Security Office at the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala City. The government indicated a more open posture to discussing the issue, framed as a matter of vulnerable or at-risk communities, but critics claimed this definition did not address the full range of causes and effects of the movement of IDPs. Occupational Safety and Health: The government sets occupational health and safety (OSH) standards that were inadequate and not up to date for all industries. U.S. government personnel and family members are prohibited from traveling to/throughout the above-mentioned areas for personal travel but are permitted to travel throughout the rest of Guatemala, including tourist destinations such as Tikal, Antigua, Lake Atitln, and Pacific coast areas in the Santa Rosa and Escuintla Departments. Covid-19 vaccination rates remained very low compared to the rest of . with at least two cars when traveling outside of Guatemala City. equivalent): 110 or The law requires officers to hold at least a high school degree, but they often had much less, and some individuals had as little as six months of police training before being sent out on the streets. OSACs reports, Road The case known as Cooptation of the State continued against former president Otto Perez Molina, former vice president Roxana Baldetti and her chief of staff Juan Carlos Monzon, and dozens of coconspirators for illegal campaign financing, money laundering, and illegal payments for public contracts, among other charges. Local unions highlighted and protested violations by employers who failed to pay employer and employee contributions to the national social security system despite employee contribution deductions from workers paychecks. law does not extend specific antidiscrimination protections to LGBTI+ individuals. Their vehicles are These vehicles had yet to be deployed as of November but were needed, since inspectors often lacked vehicles or fuel to carry out inspections, and in some cases they failed to take effective action to gain access to worksites in response to employers refusal to permit labor inspectors access to facilities. However, UDEFEGUA reported five killings of human rights defenders from January through June and 551 attacks against human rights defenders in the same period, compared with 677 attacks in the same period in 2020. the slight downward trend, Guatemala remains among the most dangerous countries to the Directorate of Migration, the United States deported 54,160 Guatemalans back extremely heavy, and severely impacts travel time between destinations. OSAC encourages travelers to use this report to gain baseline knowledge of security conditions in Guatemala. the government is unable to respond to the needs of crime victims, or to Right from the start, the United Nations and Guatemala have had a very close relationship; Guatemala is one of the 51 states that founded the UN. Further, the number and type and extortion According to the Special Prosecutors Office for Crimes Against Unionists, 70 percent of complaints in 2020 involved persistent employer refusal to comply with judicial orders. A States of siege or prevention place limits on freedom of movement. pedestrian and demand valuables and cell phones. The law provides for 12 paid annual holidays and paid vacation of 15 working days after one years work. webpage on security for LGBTI+ hosts a Northern Triangle-focused OSAC conference every spring. U.S. government personnel in Guatemala may not use unstable terrain. been spikes in violent crime in Guatemalas red zones even as the nationwide External links to other internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein. The Impunity in Guatemala (referred to as CICIG). On the evening of July 23, Sandoval fled the country after he held a press conference at the Office of the Human Rights Ombudsman, in which he implicated several sitting and former government officials in corruption cases.
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