The Special Mission of the Organization of American States (OAS) to Guatemala urged the newly appointed Attorney General, Gabriel Estuardo García Luna, this Wednesday, May 6, to assume his duties with an “unequivocal” commitment to institutional independence.
García Luna, who was appointed last Tuesday by President Bernardo Arévalo and will take office on May 17, will assume the Prosecutor’s Office in a context of high tension in the organization, due to complaints of political persecution against journalists, indigenous leaders and justice operators.
“The Mission calls for an end to the practices of penal instrumentalization and improper criminalization that have affected justice operators, journalists, human rights defenders, elected authorities, indigenous leaders and civic actors,” the organization said in a statement.
The OAS emphasized that the legitimacy of the new prosecutor is not exhausted by his appointment, but must be consolidated with an “objective and impartial criminal investigation and prosecution” to regain citizen trust.
The Mission stressed that the transition with the outgoing prosecutor, Consuelo Porras, sanctioned by the United States and the European Union on charges of corruption and undermining democracy, must be “orderly and peaceful,” and without “delaying maneuvers.”
With a career of 29 years in the Judicial Branch, the elected prosecutor has gone from court clerk to courtroom magistrate in the criminal area, a profile that he complements with his experience as a university professor and judicial instructor.
Experts and social organizations consider García Luna as the most suitable option among the candidates who made up the final list presented to Arévalo.
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