Guatemala Roundup: President-elect visits Honduras, tourism soars, ex-prosecutor leaves jail
Indigenous communities issue warning
Prensa Libre reports that leaders of indigenous communities have issued a warning that they may take to the streets again if the inauguration of president-elect Bernardo Arévalo does not proceed on January 14. The indigenous mayor of Sololá, Simión Palax Chiroy, stated in a press conference that they have the support of their communities and have been engaged in a 94-day struggle to defend what they perceive as the dwindling democracy in Guatemala. If any actions, whether by the Attorney General’s Office (Ministerio Público) or other institutions, affect Arévalo's inauguration, the people of Sololá are ready to return to the streets on January 15 to express their rights, Palax Chiroy added. Additionally, indigenous leaders have asserted that they will take action if investigations are conducted against the indigenous presidents and mayors leading the movement since October 2, 2023.
President-elect Arévalo to meet Honduran leader
According to Prensa Libre, Guatemala’s president-elect, Bernardo Arévalo de León, is scheduled to travel to Honduras on Thursday, January 4th to meet with the country's president, Xiomara Castro. This meeting takes place just 10 days before Arévalo de León is set to be inaugurated as the president of Guatemala. The trip had been planned since the previous year and will be his final one before assuming office on January 14. Arévalo was supposed to meet with all leaders of Central America, except for Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega. However, due to numerous challenges to his electoral victory and the prospect of his inauguration, he had to cancel meetings, such as one scheduled with El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele.
Former anti-mafia prosecutor released from prison
France 24 states that a Guatemalan judge ordered the release of former anti-mafia prosecutor Virginia Laparra on Wednesday, following a Supreme Court resolution in favour of the ex-official. Laparra had been sentenced in December 2022 to four years of convertible imprisonment for abuse of authority in a controversial trial. During the hearing, Judge Oly González granted Laparra house arrest to serve the remainder of her sentence. Laparra expressed in a statement on social media that her freedom is a small step toward the reconstruction of the justice system. Amnesty International's Americas Director, Ana Piquer, commented that Laparra should never have spent a day in prison, and it is great news that she can reunite with her loved ones after nearly two years as a prisoner of conscience.
Guatemalan children stolen for adoption
According to The Guardian, from the 1960s, baby brokers persuaded Mayan women to give up newborns while kidnappers ‘disappeared’ babies. It is estimated that 40,000 Guatemalan international adoptees now live in the United States, Canada, and Europe. The first wave of adoptions took place from the late 1960s to the early 1980s. Sweden and Canada were popular early destinations, and soon after, another wave of babies ended up in France, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Italy. Some Guatemalan adoptees came from orphanages, but many were placed through private adoptions. Agencies in Europe and the US contracted directly with lawyers in Guatemala to find children, match them to families, and do all the paperwork without judicial oversight.
International tourism bounces back
In 2023, international tourism in the country returned to pre-pandemic levels after a significant decline in 2020. While the official figures will be available next week, Prensa Libre states that the projected year-end estimate is 2,585,195 foreign or non-resident tourists, according to data from the Guatemalan Tourism Institute (Inguat). This represents a slight increase over 2019, reaching 25,596 more tourists, a growth of 1%. Moreover, it signifies a substantial rise of 740,456 visitors compared to 2022, marking a 40.1% increase.
