Central America
Two guatemalan police officers injured in ambush during Alta Verapaz operation
Two officers from Guatemala’s National Civil Police (PNC) were injured during an operation at the Chinacanguinic farm in Cobán, Alta Verapaz.
The police deployment took place in the area as part of an investigation into the crime of aggravated usurpation. Due to the geographical complexity, officers entered the site via river. However, while approximately 1,300 officers were carrying out their duties, they were ambushed with gunfire and homemade explosives. In response to the attack, the officers activated containment protocols and controlled use of tear gas, according to the prosecutor’s office. The injured were identified as Inspector Jonhy Orlando Pérez, who suffered a lung injury, and Officer Gerber Barrayo, who was wounded in the leg. Both were evacuated with the help of their colleagues and aerial support. They remain under treatment at the Cobán hospital, authorities said.
The operation was conducted by the Alta Verapaz District Prosecutor’s Office, in coordination with the regional prosecutor for Region III North and the PNC. It targeted constructions located within three farms legally registered under the companies Agropecuaria Cobán, S.A. and Agropecuaria Casa Blanca, S.A.
At least 12 properties were searched, but no arrests or illegal items were found. “The operation was authorized by the First Criminal and Narcotics Court, with the objective of inspection, search, and seizure of illegal objects such as firearms, drugs, and electronic devices,” authorities reported.
Central America
Petro condemns guatemalan legal action against former colombian anti-corruption officials
Colombian President Gustavo Petro criticized Guatemala’s controversial prosecutor’s office on Tuesday, which is responsible for an investigation that led to an arrest warrant against his former Defense Minister and the Colombian Attorney General on charges of alleged corruption.
On Monday, a Guatemalan court ordered the arrest of former minister Iván Velásquez and Attorney Luz Adriana Camargo, both former members of the UN anti-mafia commission in Guatemala, according to the country’s prosecutor’s office.
The Colombian officials are accused of corruption in favor of the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht.
On the social network X, Petro compared the Guatemalan prosecutor’s office to others in the region that, according to him, “obey crime, not the citizens.” He added, “The multinational drug trafficking organizations try to take over judicial powers and governments to carry out and launder their hidden businesses with impunity.”
Velásquez served as head of the now-disbanded International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) from 2013 to 2019, while Camargo was the head of investigation and litigation at the entity from 2014 to 2017. Both enjoy immunity as the commission was sponsored by the UN.
Camargo said in a press conference that the arrest warrant “lacks legal basis and represents a risk to cooperation between countries and international organizations in the fight against impunity, corruption, and organized crime.”
Central America
Chiquita Panama seeks approval to lay off remaining staff after mass dismissals
Administrative staff of Chiquita Panama have left the country, and the company will request government authorization to lay off the remaining employees in Panama, the nation’s Labor Minister Jackeline Muñoz reported on Monday.
This news follows the company’s dismissal last month of approximately 5,000 workers out of a total of 6,500 employees nationwide, in response to a strike at its banana plantations.
Chiquita Panama did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
On May 22, the company stated it had terminated workers in the western province of Bocas del Toro following what it described as an “unjustified abandonment of duties” at its banana plantations, which began in late April. At that time, the company reported losses amounting to US$75 million caused by the strike.
Thousands of banana sector workers have been on strike while Panamanians across the country protest various issues, including a social security reform that they believe will negatively impact their future pensions.
Central America
Guterres condemns judicial pursuit of anti-corruption officials in Guatemala
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres reiterated on Tuesday that Colombian lawyers Luz Adriana Camargo and Iván Velásquez, against whom Guatemala’s judiciary has issued arrest warrants, enjoy immunity related to their roles in the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG).
“(Guterres) reiterates that the international staff of the Commission, by virtue of the agreement between the United Nations and the Government of Guatemala, enjoys immunity from judicial proceedings regarding acts performed in the course of their mission,” said Guterres’ spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric during his daily press briefing.
Dujarric emphasized that this immunity continues even after their work with the Commission has ended, and reminded that the Guatemalan government committed to protecting the Commission’s personnel “from abuse, threats, retaliation, or acts of intimidation.”
He also conveyed that Guterres expressed concern about numerous reports indicating that those who sought to shed light on corruption cases and work to strengthen the rule of law and the justice system in Guatemala are being criminally prosecuted.
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