“They took the hitmen out of Bethania” – Publinews – 2024-03-17 20:51:50

The discussion of Initiative 5692, which aims to reform the Penal Code and classify all gang activities as terrorism, caused a stir in the Congress of the Republic due to both the votes in favor and against.

For his part, deputy Allan Rodríguez, in his speech, said that the deputies who voted against declaring the gang members as terrorists was because they had an agreement with them and recalled the blockades that were carried out in 2023, in which a group of people from La Bethania, zone 7 of the city, who blocked the Peripheral Ring, violating the right to free movement that Guatemalans have.

The demonstrations on October 10 were in support of the 2023 National Strike and members of the 48 cantons participated.

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“It is important that you witness what just happened here in the Congress of the Republic of Guatemala. A motion has been presented to declare these criminals, gang members and members as terrorists, which is what they are. Those deputies who dare to talk about the past, I want to tell you that, in four years, the criminals, the gang members did not dare to put bombs on the buses,” Rodríguez noted.

He explained that the current administration has not even reached two months and the gang members feel confident to do whatever they want: “be honest, you voted in favor of the gangs because you have agreements with them because hand in hand “With them they blocked the country, because hand in hand with them they took out the hitmen from La Bethania, they took them out to hinder the people of Guatemala,” said the congressman.

The residents of La Bethania resisted and pushed back the dozens of National Civil Police agents who were deployed in the area. They did so largely thanks to their motorcycles, which have become their most effective means of transportation in the absence of public transportation.

For its part, the neighborhood organization issued a statement ensuring that the deputy referred to it in a “derogatory” manner.

“In response to the statements made by Congressman Allan Rodríguez, referring in a derogatory manner to the families that reside in La Bethania zone 7 of Guatemala City, we express that those of us who live in the neighborhood are people who fight every day to support our families and do not We are what the deputy expressed,” they describe.

The statement emphasizes that they declare NON GRATO in the Bethania neighborhood to deputy Allan Rodríguez of the Vamos party. “During the month of October 2023 we defended Guatemala’s democracy without any political flag and we will do so as many times as necessary,” he concluded.

Allan Rodríguez expressed his position

In his “X” account, the deputy expressed his position regarding what happened in the Legislature.

“My greetings and my respects to the honest and hard-working citizens of Colonia Bethania; Today in the Congress of the Republic in the debate on the Initiative that seeks to declare gang members and criminals as terrorists, I referred to the criminals who, at Semilla’s request, agreed to limit the free movement of Guatemalans; The full weight of the law must fall against these criminals,” he argued.

Rodríguez explained that they are people who mercilessly extort, kill and today feel protected by this government and in his opinion they should be declared terrorists.

“That is why we supported this important and necessary law yesterday. Once again Semilla wants to use the people of the Bethania colony, this time not to blockade the city, but to hide his legislative inabilities and divert attention from his failures. With seed came spring, against the firefighters, in favor of the gang members,” she concluded.