EU imposes sanctions on Guatemala officials for role in attempted coup

[Judi Lynn]

David DeNotaris | U. Pittsburgh School of Law, US
FEBRUARY 2, 2024 07:30:12 PM

The European Union (EU) on Friday imposed sanctions against five individuals from Guatemala that “undermine[d] democracy, the rule of law or the peaceful transfer of power in Guatemala” according to a press release by the Council of the EU.

The Friday sanctions followed a January 12 Council decision, purported to freeze assets of those who were “responsible for, engaging in, providing support to, or benefitting from, actions that undermine democracy, the rule of law or the peaceful transfer of power in Guatemala.” Those sanctioned include the Attorney General of Guatemala María Consuelo Porras Argueta De Porres, three Guatemalan prosecutors: Ángel Arnoldo Pineda Ávila, José Rafael Curruchiche Cucul and Leonor Eugenia Morales Lazo De Sánchez, and a judge Fredy Raúl Orellana Letona.

Guatemala’s new president, Bernardo Arévalo, was inaugurated in mid-January after a failed coup d’état and allegedly politically-motivated raids by Guatemalan prosecutors into Arévalo’s party’s headquarters. The Council decision cited Organization of American States (OAS) criticism of the raids as a reason for the sanctions. Most of those sanctioned were sanctioned for what the EU called “spurious investigations targeting the Supreme Electoral Tribunal” and “efforts to overturn the results of the 2023 elections in Guatemala.”

The US sanctioned three prosecutors and prohibited them from obtaining US visas for engaging in politically motivated investigations and casting public doubt on the election results in December. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk also criticized Guatemalan prosecutors for attempting to “undercut the general election results” in December.

More:
https://www.jurist.org/news/2024/02/eu-imposes-sanctions-on-guatemala-officials-for-role-in-attempted-coup/