Listen to the full article:
Download the full audio in mp3 here.
An internet search with the phrase “Guatemala prosecutors and judges in exile” illustrates the state of the narrative about the perception of justice in the country and who is winning the media pulse. “Washington, the capital of Guatemalan justice in exile” and “The war against independent judges and prosecutors”, from the Spanish newspaper El País. “Guatemala: At Least 13 Former Prosecutors in Exile”, by DW Germany. “Dismissed anti-corruption prosecutor in Guatemala leaves the country” and “Well-known Guatemalan judge resigns and goes into exile”, from Swissinfo in Switzerland.
“The UN is concerned about the persecution of judges and prosecutors”, while the LA Times launches the tricky question “Why does Guatemala persecute judges and prosecutors?”. It does not ask if Guatemala persecutes judges and prosecutors; he takes it for granted and asks why. These communications have the same tenor: judges and prosecutors in Guatemala, who from their positions fight against corruption, have been forced to leave the country because they feel persecuted and do not trust the justice system. It is not discussed here whether the tenor of these communications, the narrative they promote, is true or false; it is only proposed that they occupy more media space, both in the country and abroad.
The widely commented article titled “The Exile of Guatemala’s Anti-Corruption Efforts”, written by Jonathan Blitzer, published last April 29 in The New Yorker magazine, shows the prevailing point of view. It develops on the deed of five heroic figures; prosecutors Rudy Herrera, Juan Francisco Sandoval and Andrei González, judge Érika Aifán and former attorney general Thelma Aldana. A photo of the quintet accompanies the headline of the article; they have in common their relentless fight against corruption and saving themselves by a hair from the clutches of evil, going into exile. The author cannot help but introduce US domestic politics into the drama, citing a high-ranking State Department official who tells him how “certain politicians, businessmen, and members of organized crime [en Guatemala] they think they can survive this administration [de Joe Biden] and wait for another, like Trump’s, that is willing to tolerate corruption.” He draws attention to how businessmen get together with politicians and members of organized crime; a common subliminal form of disqualification.
The narrative did not tire of pointing out that the appointment of Consuelo Porras for a second term as head of the Public Ministry would be irrefutable proof of his hypothesis. President Giammattei complied, drawing a line in the sand, against the explicit wishes of the State Department.
The cases and circumstances of prosecutors and judges who left the country are not all the same. Some of these actors have their own agenda; changing teams, moving to Washington to star in the corridors of power may serve their own interests. Without a doubt, the justice system is rotten, infiltrated by evil agendas and manipulated by political interests. This does not automatically translate to the idea that all former officials in exile constitute the light of the resistance in exile.
There are other points of view and narratives about the context of some of the alleged exiles, but they are less voluminous. If there is legitimate legal cause against some of the exiles, there has been a lack of persuasive eloquence; already the debate is drawn more in the ideological field than in the strictly legal one. A diplomatic storm is brewing against the the status quo in Guatemala.
* Dr. Fritz Thomas, Ph.D., is a Ph.D. in Economics from the Francisco Marroquín University (UFM) in Guatemala and a professor at the same university.
This article was published in Free Press from Guatemala.
Read more articles by the same author:
- Guatemala: A diplomatic storm is brewing – by Fritz Thomas May 27, 2022
- Reservations and Sanctions – by Fritz Thomas May 16, 2022
- Between adversaries and enemies – by Fritz Thomas April 30, 2022
- USA: The Sea Level of Dollars – by Fritz Thomas April 26, 2022
- Guatemala: Attacking the root causes – by Fritz Thomas April 8, 2022
- Perception and reality – by Fritz Thomas February 23, 2022
- Guatemala: Are you a racist? – by Fritz Thomas February 12, 2022
- Less identity and more arithmetic – by Fritz Thomas January 28, 2022
- COP26: The rules are for you, not me – by Fritz Thomas November 8, 2021
- History as exploit or crime – by Fritz Thomas October 20, 2021
(Total: 3 – Today: 3 )
–
