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Indigenous leaders in Guatemala announce increased protests

Indigenous leaders in Guatemala announce increased protests
Photo: EFE

October 18 |

Indigenous leaders of Guatemala gave Tuesday a deadline to the government of President Alejandro Giammattei to seek a solution to the political crisis or they will increase the protests that have been held consecutively for 16 days.

The indigenous mayor of the municipality Los Encuentros, Alberto Tuy, affirmed that the authorities of the native peoples are analyzing the last resources so that in case there is no response they can bring to the capital “the whole nation from which we have support”.

In this sense, he pointed out that neither the Constitutional Court (CC), the Supreme Court of Justice, the Congress of the Republic and the President have given a solution to the demands, especially the dismissal of the Attorney General and head of the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP), Consuelo Porras.

“We are giving 48 hours to analyze and raise awareness, but if at this moment there is an answer from the government or any other instance, with pleasure, all roads will be freed”, he affirmed.

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Meanwhile, Guatemala’s Minister of the Interior, Napoleón Barrientos, presented his resignation to President Giammattei on Monday after the MP requested the Constitutional Court to dismiss him for not complying with orders to evict participants in the protests.

The protesters accuse Porras and prosecutors Cinthia Monterroso and Rafael Curruchiche, as well as Judge Fredy Orellana, of attempting to modify the results of the elections held last June and August, in which the Semilla Movement candidate, Bernardo Arévalo de León, won.

At the end of September, the Public Prosecutor’s Office seized, in an unprecedented procedure, voting records after having carried out raids to the headquarters of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal and to the Seed Movement.

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Central America

Guatemala’s President to Hold Private Interviews for Attorney General Candidates

Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo de León announced that he will privately interview the six candidates for attorney general this week, breaking with the public format used by former President Alejandro Giammattei.

Speaking during a press conference on Monday, Arévalo said the interviews would not be open to the public because he intends to question candidates about their plans to recover the Attorney General’s Office from what he described as “political-criminal networks.”

Under Guatemalan law, the president is responsible for appointing the country’s attorney general.

The position has been held since 2018 by Consuelo Porras, whose term is set to expire on May 16 after two consecutive terms marked by local and international allegations of corruption.

Arévalo is expected to select the new attorney general later this week from a shortlist recently submitted by a nomination commission.

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The Guatemalan president has repeatedly criticized the Public Prosecutor’s Office, claiming it has been compromised by corrupt political interests.

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Central America

Guatemala Court Voids List of Candidates for Top Prosecutor Position

President of Guatemala cannot remove attorney general from office

Constitutional Court of Guatemala on Thursday annulled the shortlist of six candidates for attorney general and head of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, ordering authorities to repeat the evaluation phase of the selection process.

The ruling came in response to a legal appeal filed by Raúl Amílcar Falla Ovalle, who challenged the way professional experience had been assessed for some applicants, particularly those with careers in the judiciary.

As a result of the decision, the selection process has been suspended, and the Postulation Commission must return to the stage in which the original 48 applicants were evaluated.

According to the ruling, the commission must reapply the grading criteria without automatically counting years served as judges as equivalent to the professional experience required for the position.

“The Postulation Commission for the election of the Attorney General and Head of the Public Prosecutor’s Office is ordered to reassess the applicants by strictly applying the approved grading table,” the resolution states.

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The Constitutional Court also stressed that the process must guarantee merit, competence, and suitability, while ensuring greater transparency in the assignment of scores.

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Central America

U.S. extradites Iranian man over alleged sanctions evasion scheme

The United States has extradited from Panama an Iranian national accused of evading economic sanctions against Iran by illegally exporting U.S. technology. He is scheduled to appear this Monday before a court in Seattle.

Reza Dindar, 44, was extradited on April 17 after being detained in Panama since July 2025 on charges related to export control violations between 2011 and 2012, allegedly carried out through companies based in China.

The defendant appeared before a U.S. district court in Seattle, where he faces charges of violating sanctions imposed by the United States on Iran in 1995 during the administration of Bill Clinton. These sanctions prohibit the unauthorized export, re-export, or supply—directly or indirectly—of U.S. goods, technology, or services to Iran or its government.

According to the indictment, between 2010 and 2014, Dindar led the company New Port Sourcing Solutions in Xi’an, China, which allegedly concealed the procurement of U.S. products for shipment to clients in Iran.

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