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Thousands of Guatemalan police and soldiers locked down the center of the capital on Wednesday amid protests over the government's move to shutter a U.N.-backed anti-graft commission that has called for the president's impeachment.
More than 2,000 police and troops blocked off parts of the city center as farmers and students marched for a third day, carrying signs that said "No more corruption" and demanded the resignation of Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales.
Late last month, Morales said the country would not renew the mandate of the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) that had brought down his predecessor and also tried to have Morales impeached. The United Nations has expressed serious concerns about the decision.
"We demand the president let the CICIG continue. We do not want more corruption," said Cirilo Perez, a local indigenous leader who helped organize protests.
Working with Guatemala's attorney general, the CICIG in 2017 sought to prosecute Morales, a former comedian, over illegal financing allegations during his election campaign two years earlier.
The government has now given the commission a year to exit the country and last week officials barred the CICIG's head Ivan Velasquez from entering the country.
Demonstrators are also protesting two legislative initiatives that lawmakers who back Morales are aiming to pass in the coming days.
#Guatemala | Hundreds of elite military troops are armed for war and being deployed against peaceful campesino protestors. pic.twitter.com/Z6fpfPcv45
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) September 12, 2018
One bill would limit the ability of investigators to strip politicians of their immunity from prosecution, and another would permit almost 80 congressmen who have defected from the opposition to join Morales' party.
In August, the nation's Supreme Court decided to consider a request to strip Morales of his immunity for his alleged participation in illegal electoral financing. The proceeding, supported by the CICIG, is the third against him.
Lawmakers propose to transfer the oversight of immunity proceedings to Congress from the Supreme Court and to limit such bids to only one request.
Denuncian a Jimmy Morales por desplegar a soldados kaibiles en la zona 1 capitalina, ante manifestación pacífica de organizaciones campesinas de este 12S. Los kaibiles son soldados de élite del ejército especializados para operaciones "antiterroristas" Vídeo Villa Nueva News pic.twitter.com/FvbfDBx38l
— Santiago Botón ���� (@SantiagoteleSUR) September 12, 2018
"A denouncement of Jimmy Morales for deploying Kaibile soldiers in Zone 1 of the capital, before a peaceful demonstration of Campesino organizations of this 12th of September. The kaibiles are elite soldiers of the army specialized for "anti-terrorist" operations."
Morales' predecessor is in prison and standing trial for allegedly running a customs racket uncovered by the CICIG. Last year, the commission started investigating members of Morales' family for alleged corruption and supported impeaching him.
Morales denies any wrongdoing and says the CICIG has overstepped its remit.
Morales' credibility has suffered due to the CICIG's investigations, and he has aligned himself more closely with U.S. President Donald Trump by backing his decision to move the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
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