Political Quotes

“the decision, announced last Friday, by Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales to not renew the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala, CICIG, after its current term expires next September, was a profound mistake. That mistake was further compounded on Tuesday when the government announced that the CICIG Commissioner, Ivan Velasquez, a respected Colombian jurist, had been summarily declared a ``national security threat'' and barred from reentering the country. That is the kind of fear-provoking mischaracterization one might expect from an authoritarian government that will use any outlandish justification to silence its critics but not from a democracy. I urge President Morales to reconsider and to reverse these actions for the benefit of the Guatemalan people, in the interests of justice and on behalf of Guatemala's relations with the United States and its international reputation. There may still be time to turn this political and judicial crisis into a positive outcome for the country. At the time of his public announcement to not renew CICIG, President Morales was joined on the podium by dozens of uniformed military and police officers. At the same time, military vehicles carrying officers armed with heavy weapons--vehicles provided by the United States for legitimate law enforcement purposes--lined the street in front of CICIG's office. They also drove past the Constitutional Court and the U.S. Embassy.…”