Political Quotes

“for the past dozen years, the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala, with financial support from the United States and other countries, has worked in collaboration with Guatemala's Public Ministry. That partnership has enabled courageous Guatemalan prosecutors to investigate and bring to trial cases they never could have pursued without the international ``shield'' and assistance provided by CICIG. It has also enabled courageous constitutional court magistrates to defend Guatemala's weak judicial institutions. In a country where throughout its history high-ranking public officials, including senior military officers, and corporate elites have enjoyed near total impunity for corrupt acts and violent crimes, the Guatemalan people finally saw that justice is possible. Not surprisingly, that collaboration encountered fierce opposition from its inception. The same high-ranking officials and elites who feared becoming the targets of corruption investigations sought to curtail CICIG's role. Last year, that opposition culminated in President Morales expelling the CICIG commissioner and subsequently announcing that the agreement establishing CICIG would be terminated, effective immediately. That announcement was made, without warning, after months of negotiations between Guatemalan, UN, and U.S.…”