Guatemalans Protest Corruption and Mishandling of the Pandemic

Protesters took to the streets in Guatemala on Saturday to demand the resignation of President Alejandro Giammattei for his mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic and his lack of commitment to combat corruption.

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Demonstrations came amid the calls by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to prioritize the fight against corruption in the Central American nation where there is harassment of judges and prosecutors for investigating criminal structures linked to political and economic sectors. 

Activists rejected the dismissal of ex-Special Prosecutor's Office Against Impunity (FECI) chairman Juan Sandoval, who charged over 200 people, including ministers, lawmakers, officials, and ex-presidents for illicit acts.

"I consider Giammattei to be corrupt and so corrupt is he that he has taken over the Interior Ministry," Sandoval said

Rural, human rights, and students organizations such as the Altiplano Rural Workers Committee and the Association of University Students (AEU) have supported the demonstrations. 

On Friday, the Prosecutor's Office ordered the arrest of Mixco's former mayor Otto Perez Leal over conspiracy, illicit association, and abuse of authority charges. He is the son of ex-President Otto Perez Molina, who is currently in prison for embezzlement.

Besides Perez Leal, three other people from his administration were captured, while an arrest order is pending on his wife, the ex-congresswoman Stella Alonzo.