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The purpose of this "alert" is to bring to your attention certain information about ongoing legal cases in Guatemala and share our concern for the safety of those who are involved in this process by trying to put an end to the impunity for crimes and human rights violations committed during the internal armed conflict. The human rights situation in the country during this period, and the role that the State, the Army and other members of the security forces played, has been widely documented in publications such as the Report for the Recovery of Historical Memory (Informe de Recuperación de la Memoria Histórica, REMHI), by the Human Rights Office of the Guatemalan Archbishop (Oficina de Derechos Humanos del Arzobispado de Guatemala, ODHAG), and "Guatemala: Memory of Silence", ("Guatemala: Memoria del Silencio"), by the Commission for Historical Clarification (Comisión de Esclarecimiento Histórico, CEH).

Many years after the complaints that resulted in these legal processes were submitted, and after innumerable obstacles, we are seeing in the last few months some developments that represent significant historical advances
in the investigation and conviction of those accused of these serious human rights violations. We highlight some of the cases being covered by the media:

On 9 June, the authorities arrested the ex director of the former National Police (PN), Hector Bol de la Cruz, who is accused of being behind the illegal detention and enforced disappearance of student union leader Fernando García;
On 17 June, former head of the Armed Forces Héctor López Fuentes was captured, in the first case of the arrest of an individual accused of participating in genocide, and subsequently indicted;
On 25 July, a court indicted Pedro García Arredondo, ex leader of the "Comando Seis", a division of the former National Police, for the enforced disappearance of Edgar Sáenz Calito, a student of agricultural economics;
On 2 August, a first instance court sentenced three former "kaibiles" (members of an elite military squad) and a former military commissioner for the assassination of 201 people and crimes against humanity in the case of the Las Dos Erres massacre, in Petén department;
On 12 August, the authorities arrested a former military commissioner and three former members of the civil defense patrols for their role in the massacre committed in the community of Plan de Sánchez, Baja Verapaz department.

PBI Guatemala welcomes the developments in these cases, as they represent a fundamental step towards combating impunity and fostering confidence in the Guatemalan justice system.

At the same time, PBI Guatemala is extremely concerned about the current political climate, and feels that this poses greater risks for the safety of those who are fighting for justice for these serious human rights violations and crimes against humanity. We note, in particular, the following developments:

On 22 July, the Association of Guatemalan Veterans (Asociación de Veteranos Militares de Guatemala, AVEMILGUA), took out a paid advertisement in the newspaper Prensa Libre, in which they uttered some strong accusations against those who are demanding or seeking justice through these legal processes.
AVEMILGUA used the term "terrorism" in reference to human rights defenders and warned of its willingness to take up arms should the wheels of justice continue to turn in a manner that the association does not approve of.
On 10 August, the Guatemalan Forensic Anthropology Foundation (Fundación de Antropología Forense de Guatemala, FAFG) denounced an attack and death threats issued against the organisation's director and four other people who have provided experts' reports to the Prosecutor's Office (Ministerio Público,
MP) in connection with the Las Dos Erres massacre.