Guatemala: UN Fight against Impunity

IPS has an interview with Carlos Castresana, head of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala. The UN commission is charged with strengthening the justice process in the Central American country.

IPS: What is it that CICIG contributes to the justice system in Guatemala that the system itself can't provide?

CC: The system is not functional. The justice system in Guatemala is able to solve two percent of cases by itself, and we are speaking of serious criminality. Ninety-eight percent of cases go unpunished.

[...]

IPS: Why Guatemala? There are many other countries in the region and in other regions that need a similar approach to impunity.

CC: Because Guatemala asked for it. Guatemala went before the United Nations and said, please help me, create a commission to help my prosecution office to function.

It's true, there are other countries in the region in a very similar situation, Honduras, El Salvador and others. But in those cases there has not been an initiative.

The United Nations can't come to a country if the country does not agree. An exception on this issue is the Security Council. In this case the U.N. could only give help because Guatemala asked for it.

"We Are Changing the Situation of Impunity" (IPS)