Guatemala snubs human rights court, orders release of prisoners convicted of crimes against humanity

A Guatemalan appeals court has disobeyed a ruling from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights by ordering the release of three former high-ranking military officers convicted of crimes against humanity

BySONIA PÉREZ D. Associates Press
June 9, 2023, 5:20 PM

GUATEMALA CITY -- A Guatemalan appeals court on Friday disobeyed a ruling from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights by ordering the release of three former high-ranking military officers convicted of crimes against humanity.

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It's not the first time that Guatemala authorities have disregarded rulings by the court - they've been condemned for it 14 times before. The original 2018 sentencing of the men actually came about as a result of a 2004 condemnation by the rights court, which rebuked decades of impunity in a case centered around the forced disappearance and aggravated rape of members of the Molina Theissen family.

But it's the first case Guatemala authorities have done so in a situation that involves releasing prisoners already convicted of serious crimes. It also comes as watchdogs warn of deteriorating democracy and a growing embrace of authoritarian tendencies in Central America. In Guatemala, critics have gone as far as accusing elites of trying to “hijack Guatemala's justice system" for political benefit.

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Despite Friday's decision, the men still haven't been released from prison because they still await rulings in two other trials against them for crimes of genocide and forced disappearance.

More:
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/guatemala-snubs-human-rights-court-orders-release-prisoners-99974156