View press release of Human Rights First:
http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/media/hrd/2009/alert/492/index.htm

After visiting Guatemala to assess the human rights situation in the country, Andrew Hudson of Human Rights First said in a press conference organized by Convergence for Human Rights that the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) is an innovative mechanism to shatter the culture of impunity in the country, but it needs the support of the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Judiciary to achieve this.

According to Hudson, much of the violence in Guatemala today is the consequence of the lack of criminal prosecution of those responsible for the atrocious crimes committed during the internal armed conflict. "Guatemala should bring those responsible for these crimes to justice in order to come to terms with its past and its future," he said.

In coordination with the member organizations of Convergence for Human Rights, Hudson visited Guatemala to monitor and assess the status of human rights in the country. Human Rights First made three main recommendations:

1. Atrocities and serious violations of human rights during the armed conflict must be investigated and prosecuted and the situation of impunity must be reviewed;
2. Status of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala;
3. Status of human rights defenders.

Regarding the status of CICIG, Hudson explained that the Commission is a mechanism to eradicate the culture of impunity in this country, but that it can only work if the Government does its part by criminally prosecuting the perpetrators and protecting witnesses and victims. Moreover, it is necessary that the work of the Special Prosecutor’s Office for CICIG receives support and Congress approves the reforms proposed by CICIG. "It is crucial that Congress approves these reforms to give the Commission the tools it needs to do its work. The purpose of all of this is to eradicate illegal security groups and clandestine security organizations," said Hudson.

"It is obvious and regrettable that there is a culture of impunity in Guatemala. That is why it is urgent to strengthen the Public Prosecutor’s Office’s Human Rights Division, and particularly its Historic Clarification Unit, in which there are only four prosecutors to process hundreds of crimes and hundreds of victims," said the representative of Human Rights First.

This international organization believes that providing more resources to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, reforming the Law on Amparo- which is being used as a tool to perpetuate impunity- and working with the CICIG are some of the solutions. "These three very simple suggestions could have a major effect on the country," said Hudson.