New Investigation

Ricardo Méndez Ruiz and the Art of Lawfare in Guatemala

#MendezRuiz

Dear Reader,

InSight Crime is pleased to announce the launch of our latest investigation, "Ricardo Méndez Ruiz and the Art of Lawfare in Guatemala."

With Guatemala standing at a political crossroads, this in-depth profile explores the story of a far-right judicial hatchet man whose elite allies tried to prevent new President Bernardo Arévalo from taking office: Ricardo Méndez Ruiz.

For years, Méndez Ruiz and his Foundation Against Terrorism waged a lonely and seemingly futile campaign attacking judges, prosecutors, and international investigators working on cases of corruption and human rights abuses. But all that changed when a power shift within Guatemala’s judicial system allowed Méndez Ruiz to take center stage, a position he used to drive his enemies into exile or even to jail.

This investigation explores one of Guatemala’s most polemical figures, exposing the legal machinations and online attack strategies he used to wage judicial warfare against opponents of the country’s corrupt establishment. In doing so, it reveals how Méndez Ruiz and his allies prepared the ground for the recent attempted “judicial coup” against Arévalo in the weeks before he took office. And it illustrates the ongoing battle being fought not only for control of Guatemala’s institutions, but also for control of the country’s history itself.

We invite you to explore the full investigation, available on our website.

Regards, 

The InSight Crime Team 

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