Central America
Guatemalans demand resignation of attorney general
November 4 |
Thousands of Guatemalans, mostly Mayan indigenous, demanded this Friday in the streets the resignation of the attorney general, Consuelo Porras, whom they accuse of violating democracy by persecuting the elected president Bernardo Arévalo.
Carrying Guatemalan flags -blue and white- and signs demanding Porras’ resignation, a crowd protested in front of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Constitutional Court (highest judicial instance) and the Palace of Culture, former seat of government, in the capital.
The demonstrators traveled several kilometers on foot to reach these points, after starting from four entrances of Guatemala City to demand the departure of Porras, the prosecutor Rafael Curruchiche and the judge Fredy Orellana. All three are on a U.S. list of “corrupt” actors.
“We tell these corrupt people that we don’t want them anymore, their resignation has to be imminent and we will not take a step back” until we get them out, declared an activist who spoke over loudspeakers in front of the Prosecutor’s Office.
The protest took place one day after the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) disqualified Arevalo’s Semilla party, following an order issued by Judge Orellana in August for alleged irregularities in its registration. Another demonstration was called for this Saturday.
The party was disqualified on August 28 by the Registry of Citizens (electoral roll) by court order, which led Arevalo to denounce a “coup d’état” plan to prevent him from assuming power in January 2024.
However, the TSE temporarily lifted the disqualification on September 3 until the election process was formally completed on October 31.
The demonstration was called by indigenous groups and supported by other civil society entities and university students.
The peaceful march took place days after the end of two weeks of blockades of the country’s main highways, initiated on October 2 to demand the resignation of the three judicial officials.
Backed by the United States, the European Union, several governments and international organizations, the 65 year-old social democrat Arévalo considers that the three officials are an attack against democracy and seek to prevent him from assuming the presidency on January 14.
The crusade against Semilla was launched by Curruchiche after Arévalo was a surprise winner in the first round of elections on June 25 and went to the ballot on August 20, in which he obtained a wide victory with his promise to fight corruption, an endemic evil in the country.
Central America
Arévalo accuses Porras and judge of undermining democracy in Guatemala
Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo denounced a new attempt at a “coup” orchestrated by the Attorney General’s Office. He also requested an extraordinary session at the Organization of American States (OAS) to address the country’s ongoing political crisis.
The president has been at odds with Attorney General Consuelo Porras, who has been sanctioned by the United States and the European Union for being “corrupt” and “anti-democratic.” Since 2023, Arévalo has accused Porras of launching investigations against his party, Semilla, and the 2023 elections as part of a scheme to prevent his inauguration in January 2024.
From the presidential office, Arévalo has said he continues to “resist” the “coup plotters,” but tensions escalated last Friday when Judge Fredy Orellana, at the request of the Attorney General’s Office, ordered the electoral court to annul the Semilla party’s promoter group. Arévalo interpreted this as an attempt to revoke the positions won by the party.
“Orellana, a hitman who distorts the law in service of Consuelo Porras, is attempting to force […] the unconstitutional removal of a mayor, 23 elected deputies […], the vice president, and the president of the country,” Arévalo said in a televised address on Sunday.
“We call on the international community not to turn a blind eye to the coup being attempted in Guatemala,” he added, speaking alongside his cabinet and congressional members at the National Palace in Guatemala City.
Arévalo requested that the Organization of American States hold an extraordinary session to present “the serious threats” to the Guatemalan Constitution and democracy perpetrated by Porras and Orellana.
Yesterday, Guatemalan Foreign Minister Carlos Ramiro Martínez reaffirmed the president’s statements, emphasizing the need “to go and expose the situation” Guatemala has been facing since last week due to the actions of the Attorney General’s Office.
Central America
New dismembered bodies found in San Juan river days after mass killing in Palencia
On the morning of Monday, October 27, Guatemala’s Volunteer Firefighters confirmed the discovery of two bodies and two human heads inside plastic bags in the San Juan River, located in the Zacualpía village at kilometer 21 of the Atlantic Highway, in the jurisdiction of Palencia.
The remains were found by personnel from Companies 85, 50, and Central, who responded after receiving a report about suspicious bags floating in the water. The gruesome discovery was made just a few meters from the site where eight tortured bodies were found under the San Juan Bridge on Friday, October 24.
Local authorities do not rule out a connection between both incidents and suspect they may be tied to the same criminal organization. Investigators from the Public Ministry and the National Civil Police arrived at the scene to gather evidence and transfer the remains to the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (Inacif).
According to data from the National Economic Research Center (CIEN), Guatemala recorded 2,154 homicides between January and August 2025, an increase compared to the 1,816 reported during the same period in 2024.
Central America
Four guatemalan soldiers arrested for stealing weapons from Northern Air Command
Four soldiers were arrested in connection with the theft of weapons from the Northern Air Command of the Ministry of Defense in Petén, Guatemala, following operations conducted by the Public Ministry (Prosecutor’s Office).
“During the operations, criminal scenes were processed, analyzed, and documented photographically, possible escape routes were identified, surveillance cameras were located, and potential witnesses were interviewed,” the Prosecutor’s Office explained in a social media post.
The detained soldiers were identified as Ludwin Jónathan Cardona Baltazar, charged with illicit association, dereliction of duty, and aggravated theft; and Josué Israel Pérez Jerónimo, Alain Omar Marroquín Soch, and Carlos Ernesto Ibarra Corrales, charged with dereliction of duty, according to Guatemala’s Prensa Libre.
The military personnel reportedly stole 55 rifles, 14,420 rounds of 5.56 mm ammunition, 92 magazines of 35 rounds each, 19 magazines of 20 rounds each, and three grenade launchers, “which were allegedly moved from the arms warehouse to the outside for illicit sale.”
The Ministry of Defense stated that it will keep its internal control mechanisms active to prevent similar incidents.
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