International
Guatemalan prosecutors and justice operators lack security guarantees in province
October 24 |
The kidnapping 29 days ago of a prosecutor and two investigators from the Public Ministry (MP) in Tajumulco, San Marcos, reveals the vulnerability of the investigators in the province.
This situation is caused by several factors, such as insufficient support from the National Civil Police (PNC) and the dominance that criminal structures have over municipal and departmental authorities, according to a former secretary of the Public Prosecutor’s Office and an analysis of the situation by the Pro-Justice Movement.
On September 25, a prosecutor and two investigators from the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP) were kidnapped by residents of the village of Tuinimá, Tajumulco, San Marcos, who demanded the closure of the municipal headquarters of the MP in Tajumulco and the release of two people linked to the crime of an army colonel.
As of yesterday, the MP workers had been in this situation for 28 days. According to the official report of the auxiliary of the Human Rights Ombudsman’s Office, the reason for the kidnapping is because the victims were carrying out a field inspection related to the theft of electricity.
“Being a prosecutor at the municipal or departmental level is different from being a prosecutor in Guatemala City,” says Javier Monterroso, ex-secretary of the MP, who affirms that the prosecutors and investigators assigned in the province work with many “precariousnesses” and normally only investigate common crimes, so as not to enter into confrontation with the inhabitants or put themselves at risk from organized crime.
“Their work is more complicated because there are fewer PNC agents and MP personnel, but in addition, many members of the security forces themselves are committed to the powers that be, politicians and drug traffickers,” Monterroso said.
He also states that in the province, municipal and departmental authorities depend a lot on the criminal structures in the region, and for this reason, when it comes to investigating criminal structures, prosecutors are asked not to be from the department so that there are no reprisals, and they opt to bring prosecutors from the capital city, in addition to the support of the army.
“But even so, prosecutors are very vulnerable because of the above situations and when they are retained by the population, they are tied up and beaten on the orders of community leaders or organized crime,” says Monterroso.
The former secretary of the MP says that even some of the workers who have been retained have said that they are subjected to psychological abuse, when they are threatened that they will be burned and “they show them or gasoline”.
Retention of personnel, according to Monterroso, has occurred most frequently when investigating illegal electricity connections or when tracking poppy plantations.
For Carmen Aída Ibarra, director of Movimiento ProJusticia, these events are more recurrent in Huehuetenango and San Marcos, mainly in the border areas with Mexico, due to the presence of drug trafficking.
“In some places, the economy of the communities depends on illegal crops and contraband, and the physical integrity of the prosecutors is at risk,” said Ibarra.
The researcher and expert in the justice sector reiterates that there are communities where the population rejects the presence of the PNC and the MP and prefers to act according to their rules, often to defend the interests of organized crime or the community itself, “when the local economy is affected”.
Ibarra affirms that the lack of security guarantees for prosecutors and investigators of the MP in the province is compounded by the fear of being removed or dismissed.
“In 2021 there was a series of transfers and removals that affect them, because they are sent far from their residence. They live in fear, because they do not know when they will be transferred or dismissed,” said Ibarra.
International
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.
During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.
“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.
“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”
Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.
On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.
International
Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition
he Vatican’s post offices and select collector shops began selling special edition stamps this week to mark the period between the death of Pope Francis and the election of his successor.
Known as “Sede Vacante” stamps, they feature an image used on official Vatican documents during the interregnum between popes — two crossed keys without the papal tiara. These stamps went on sale Monday and will remain valid for postal use only until the new pontiff appears at the window overlooking St. Peter’s Square.
Until then, they can be used to send letters, postcards, and parcels. “Once the new pope is elected, the stamps lose their postal validity, but their collectible value rises,” said Francesco Santarossa, who runs a collectors’ shop across from St. Peter’s Square.
The Vatican has issued the stamps in four denominations: €1.25, €1.30, €2.45, and €3.20. Each is inscribed with “Città del Vaticano” and “Sede Vacante MMXXV” — Latin for “Vacant See 2025.”
International
Conclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may
The conclave, which in the coming weeks must choose the successor to Pope Francis, will strictly follow a precise protocol refined over centuries.
The 135 cardinal electors, all under the age of 80, will cast their votes four times a day — except on the first day — until one candidate secures a two-thirds majority. The result will be announced to the world through the burning of the ballots with a chemical that produces the eagerly awaited white smoke, accompanied by the traditional cry of “Habemus Papam.”
The start date for the conclave could be announced today, as the cardinals are set to hold their fifth meeting since the pope’s passing. Luxembourg Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich suggested it could begin on May 5 or 6, following the traditional nine days of mourning. According to German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the conclave could last only “a few days.”
Although the late Argentine pontiff appointed the majority of the cardinal electors, this does not necessarily ensure the selection of a like-minded successor. Francis’ leadership style differed significantly from that of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, a German theologian who was less fond of large public gatherings. It also marked a contrast with the popular Polish pope, John Paul II.
The Argentine Jesuit’s reformist papacy drew strong criticism from more conservative sectors of the Church, who are hoping for a doctrinally focused shift. His tenure was marked by efforts to combat clerical sexual abuse, elevate the role of women and laypeople, and advocate for the poor and migrants, among other causes.
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