It is clear that 2014 was a crucial year for justice in Guatemala. Last year, a number of important authorities were appointed, who will have considerable impact on the country’s judicial system. This system has serious structural problems. In May of 2014, a new Attorney General was appointed, and in June 2014, the selection processes for a new Supreme Court and new members of all courts of appeal (and courts of equivalent hierarchy) commenced. Because of the importance of these processes for the Guatemalan justice system, DPLF has been active in monitoring and contributing our expertise to actors in these processes.
On the context
– CICIG Investigation Could Be a Game-Changer for Guatemala, Americas Quarterly.
Reflections about judicial selection processes in Guatemala
– Aportes 17: Selección de miembros de altas cortes e independencia judicial.
– 2014, año clave para la justicia en Guatemala
– Corte de Constitucionalidad de Guatemala robustece normas para selección judicial
– Righting Guatemala’s Broken Judicial Selection Process
Technical documents by DPLF on (elements of) judicial selection processes
– Guidelines for a transparent and merit-based system for the appointment of high-level judges.
– La entrevista personal en la selección de autoridades judiciales
– La evaluación de la “reconocida honorabilidad” en la selección de cargos públicos
Important references to DPLF’s work
– Guatemala podría estar en la lista negra de la CIDH por violaciones a la independencia judicial, Nómada, 19 de marzo de 2014
– Expediente 2143-2014, Corte de Constitucionalidad, decisión del 13 de junio del 2014
– ¿Quién elige a los Jueces en Guatemala? El País, 18 de agosto de 2014
Activities
– Hearing before the IACHR: “Human Rights and Judicial Independence in Guatemala”
– Report presented at the Hearing (Available in Spanish)
– DPLF, IDL y Acción Ciudadana organizan taller para sociedad civil en Guatemala
Press Releases
– Organizaciones internacionales condenan suspensión de la jueza Yassmín Barrios en Guatemala