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October 28, 2025


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** Guatemala confront new coup attempt by corrupted Judicial Branch & ‘traditional elites’
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One might think the title is a joke. It is not.

Since President Bernardo Arevalo and Vice-President Karin Herrera came to power in January 2024, after an extraordinary 8 month struggle to defend the electoral results ([link removed]) and ensure that the elected President and VP could take office, the corrupted Judicial Branch of government together with Congress – both controlled by the “pact of the corrupt” traditional elites – have blocked virtually every reform effort of Arevalo’s government.

The Judicial Branch uses the legal and penal systems as “lawfare”, as tools of repression to attack, oust from office, jail pending trial, or force into exile any one they see as in opposition to the economic, political interests of the traditional elites - and of course their global business and political allies.

Below
* Statement about this coup attempt: International Network of Solidarity with Guatemala
* Handwritten statement by jailed political prisoners Luis Pacheco & Hector Chaclan

Most recently, the Judicial Branch has pushed forward a criminal investigation that, if “successful” before the corrupted Constitutional Court, would “criminalize” the Semila Party (political party of the President and VP) and the results of the 2023 elections, rendering “illegal” the fact that Arevalo and Herrera assumed office in January 2024.

Connecting the dots: Local-to-national-to-global

Rights Action is clear that the political/ human rights/ justice situation in Guatemala is not in any way separate from many similar complicated situations around the globe, including military interventions. The situation in Guatemala is similar to other interventions and machinations of the U.S.-led, western block of nations, including Canada, working and colluding more often than not with long-time political, military and economic partners in countries around the world.

Lofty statements aside, the interests of the U.S. and Canada have almost always been aligned with economic, military and political elites world wide – Guatemala is no exception.

Understanding that it is only through citizen-led, grassroots work and struggle that democracy, human rights and justice struggles can be achieved, Rights Action will continue to support our long-time partner groups, working forever for real democracy and justice, and in defense of human rights, community well-being and the environment.

At the same time, we will continue to denounce and demand accountability for the complicit interventions and machinations of our governments, militaries, companies and investor interests.

Grahame Russell
[email protected] (mailto:[email protected])

Guatemalan democracy is defended with solidarity, memory & resistance!
By International Network of Solidarity with Guatemala, October 27, 2025

The International Network of Solidarity with Guatemala and other organizations express our deepest concern and condemnation of the anti-democratic maneuvers promoted by sectors of the Public Prosecutor's Office and the judicial system, aimed at destabilizing the constitutional order and reversing the will of the Guatemalan people expressed at the polls in 2023.

We stand in solidarity with the denunciation and warning of President Bernardo Arévalo, about a new attempt at a "coup d'état" orchestrated by the “pact of the corrupt” and implemented by the actions of Attorney General Consuelo Porras and Judge Fredy Orellana, through judicial actions aimed at annulling the Semilla party and disregarding the legitimately elected authorities.

These maneuvers constitute a direct threat to democracy, the Constitution and the political rights of the Guatemalan people. This is not an isolated institutional confrontation, but a planned offensive to guarantee impunity and perpetuate a corrupt system that the citizens rejected at the polls.

We call on the international community, multilateral organizations and social movements to remain vigilant and in solidarity with the people of Guatemala, supporting efforts to defend democratic institutions in the face of authoritarian and corrupt attacks.

We reaffirm our commitment to the people of Guatemala in their struggle for authentic democracy, social justice and respect for popular sovereignty.

Handwritten statement by jailed political prisoners Luis Pacheco & Hector Chaclan
Translation by Rights Action

(Pacheco was not only an Indigenous leader of the 48 ‘Cantons’ of Totonicapan, but at the time he was jailed in March 2025 as a political prisoner, he was the Guatemalan Deputy Minister of Sustainable Development.)

It has been six months since our freedom was taken away. Defending democracy and respecting the 2024 transition of state powers is not, and will never be, a crime. Having fulfilled our community service and the mandate of our Totonicapán people in 2023 is not a crime.

Our human rights (social, psychological, and economic) continue to be violated by denying us a fair process.

In 2023, we were the indigenous authorities of the 48 Cantons of Totonicapán and we respected the decisions of the community assemblies as well as other indigenous authorities in Guatemala.

For how long will we be deprived of our freedom when we are innocent?

People of Guatemala, thank you for your prayers for us and for Guatemala. We trust in God's blessing to have a dignified life.

Luis Pacheco
Hector Chaclan

Rights Action archives
Other crimes against humanity trials ([link removed])

13 BRAVE GIANTS-How We Won the Landmark Hudbay Minerals Lawsuits in Canada and the Mynor Padilla Criminal Trial in Guatemala, and at What Cost!
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TESTIMONIO-Canadian Mining in the Aftermath of Genocides in Guatemala
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More information
* PLATAFORMA CANADA-Guatemaltecos Exiliados por Terrorismo de Estado, [link removed], [link removed]
* NISGUA (Network in Solidarity with People of Guatemala): www.nisgua.org, [link removed], [link removed]
* GHRC (Guatemalan Human Rights Commission): www.ghrc-usa.org, [link removed]
* Breaking the Silence: www.breakingthesilenceblog.com, [link removed], [link removed]

Rights Action (U.S. & Canada)

Since 1995, Rights Action funds land, justice, human rights and democracy struggles, environment, community development and emergency relief projects in Guatemala and Honduras. Rights Action works to denounce and hold accountable the U.S. and Canadian governments, global companies, investors and banks (World Bank, etc.) that help cause and profit from exploitation and poverty, repression and human rights violations, environmental harms, corruption and impunity in Honduras and Guatemala.

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Tax-Deductible Donations (Canada & U.S.)

To support land and environmental defenders, and human rights, justice and democracy defense struggles in Honduras and Guatemala, make check to "Rights Action" and mail to:
* U.S.: Box 50887, Washington DC, 20091-0887
* Canada: Box 82858, RPO Cabbagetown Toronto, ON, M5A 3Y2

Credit-Card Donations: [link removed]
Direct deposits, write to: [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])
Donations of securities, write to: [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])

Resolution of landmark Hudbay Minerals lawsuits ([link removed])

TESTIMONIO–Canadian Mining in the Aftermath of Genocides in Guatemala ([link removed])
Edited by Catherine Nolin & Grahame Russell (Between The Lines, 2021)

More info: [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) , www.rightsaction.org
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