Observations and Recommendations of New York City Bar Association Follow-Up Delegation of Lawyers of the Americas to Guatemala

SUMMARY

In July of 2014, the New York City Bar Association sponsored a delegation of lawyers from five countries of the Americas to Guatemala. The purpose of the Delegation, organized by the Vance Center for International Justice, was to assess various developments since the City Bar’s 2013 Delegation to Guatemala, which focused on the prosecution of former President Efrain Rios-Montt. The Delegation, in the context of the current state of the rule of law in Guatemala, specifically assessed certain subsequent legal actions, as well as the ongoing appointment of judges to the Guatemalan courts. The Delegation has issued a report outlining its observations and making recommendations which would create a more firm foundation for progress toward the shared ideal of a competent and appropriately independent and empowered judiciary in Guatemala.