Political Quotes

“the Northern Triangle countries of Central America--El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala--face many similar challenges: poverty, gangs, violence, corruption, and organized crime. Another one of these challenges is weak judicial systems. For as long as anyone can remember, judges in these countries, no matter how unqualified, have been selected through opaque processes which have benefited those with personal or political connections or the ability to curry favor. Attorneys general have often turned out to be corrupt and in cahoots with organized crime, or they have been harassed and threatened to the point that they have declined to pursue cases against powerful elites or have left the country out of fear for their own safety or that of their families. But there are some signs that things are changing for the better. Today, each of these countries has an attorney general who is working to end the history of impunity that has enabled almost anyone, including members of the police and armed forces, to get away with the most heinous crimes. In Guatemala, Attorney General Thelma Aldana Hernandez; in El Salvador, Attorney General Douglas Melendez Ruiz; and in Honduras, Attorney General Oscar Fernando Chinchilla Banegas have each shown that they take seriously their responsibility to act with professionalism and impartiality in pursuit of justice. For doing so, they have each faced attempts to thwart their efforts through intimidation and threats. In the U.S.…”