A Rape and other sexual offenses remained serious problems. Police said the gang Several labor leaders reported death threats and other acts of intimidation. According to an annual report from the Lambda Association, there were 17 killings of LGBTQI+ persons from January to July in which the violence could plausibly be linked to the victims sexual orientation or gender identity. private local attorneys. Their vehicles are The NGO Mutual Support Group reported that from January to August, 395 women were killed, compared with 302 in the same period in 2020. Authorities did not thoroughly investigate most acts of violence and threats and often discarded trade union activity as a motive from the outset of the investigation, allowing these acts to go unprosecuted. President Giammattei declared a state of public calamity on August 14, which included a 10 p.m. nightly curfew for all citizens except emergency workers and food delivery workers. Persons with disabilities were unable to access education, health services, public buildings, and transportation on an equal basis with others. 2019, Guatemalas National Institute of Seismology and Volcanology registered 3,411 There was a substantial backlog of cases in the labor courts that caused delays of up to three years per case. Discrimination and Societal Abuses, Systemic Racial or Ethnic Violence and Discrimination, Acts of Violence, Criminalization, and Other Abuses Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, Other Societal Violence or Discrimination, a. On May 18, civil society organizations, including Justicia Ya and UDEFEGUA, released a statement that criticized the courts action on social media accusing the court of protecting a corrupt group of state actors. driving, although this is not enforced. In July the PNC, acting on information from Interpol, rescued eight children from a child pornography trafficking ring in Zacapa. The use of motorcycles allows the International observers noted boys were prioritized for high school education in rural communities due to the need to travel long distances and girls perceived value in the home. Posted at 01:41h . The law prohibits torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, but there were cases of prison officials negligence that allowed prisoners to experience violence and degrading conditions. Some activists claimed police raided the homes of suspected protesters and local journalists who had been critical of the government reaction. It is common to see entire Criminal organizations, including gangs, exploited girls in sex trafficking and coerced young males in urban areas to sell or transport drugs or commit extortion. In addition the judge did not require the defendants to pay an economic compensation to Chocs family, but rather only levied a modest fine for the funeral expenses. The Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) is a Federal Advisory Committee with a U.S. Government Charter to promote security cooperation between American business and private sector interests worldwide and the U.S. Department of State. killed, including several transgender individuals the NGOs believed to have On May 14, the newly installed Constitutional Court announced it had received a complaint against the U.S.-based former International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala attorney Alfonso Carrillo via an amicus curiae brief and that the court had referred the case to the Public Ministry for a criminal investigation. On September 2, a criminal court issued an arrest warrant for Sandoval for the crimes of obstruction of justice and failure in performance of official duties. OSAC is a free service to U.S.-based or incorporated private sector organizations with overseas operations. U.S. citizens should take appropriate security measures when traveling to and from the airport such as only using vetted transportation services, not displaying valuables or other signs of wealth, refraining from using mobile devices in public, and not lingering outside the airport. the police reported 3,881 homicides; a figure slightly higher than the 3,578 were 511 reported residential robberies in 2018 compared to 628 in 2017, an 18% The CREOMPAZ case, named after the Regional Center for UN Peacekeeping Training Institute where a mass burial site for disappeared persons was found, continued for former military officers indicted in 2017 on charges of forced disappearance and crimes against humanity during the 1960-1996 armed conflict. osac crime and safety report: mexico. invasions. The government is party to the International Labor Organization convention 169 (ILO 169) on Indigenous Peoples Rights, which stipulates that the government must consult with indigenous groups prior to implementing large infrastructure projects in indigenous territories. display of affluence, or by not following sound personal security practices. general populace. In the past, If authorities do not recognize a strike as legal, employers may suspend or terminate workers for absence without leave. The Unit for Crimes against Unionists within the Office of the Special Prosecutor for Human Rights in the Public Ministry was responsible for investigating attacks and threats against union members as well as for noncompliance with judicial orders in labor cases. GPS applications trying to minimize travel times can also According to LGBTI+ activists, The Public Ministry indicted him on charges of crimes against humanity and aggravated sexual assault against 36 Maya Achi women in Rabinal between 1981 and 1985. Employers routinely resisted attempts to form unions, delayed or only partially complied with agreements resulting from direct negotiations, and ignored judicial rulings requiring the employer to negotiate with recognized unions. In open sources and (U) embassy reporting. General information about natural disaster preparedness is From 2013 through . equivalent): 110 or community had already occurred in 2019, signaling an increasing trend from 2018. The first, Andrea Gonzalez, a transgender woman and leader of the transgender NGO OTRANS, was killed in Guatemala City. The Office of the Human Rights Ombudsman (PDH) and the National Office for the Prevention of Torture, both independent government bodies responsible for ensuring that the rights and well-being of prisoners are respected, also periodically visited prison facilities. easily identify their targets due to the illumination of smartphones or assaulted them and then set them on fire. assistance, call the police at 110 or 120 or the fire department at 122 or 123. participated highlighted that 17 homicides against members of the LGBTI+ OSAC encourages travelers to use this report to gain baseline knowledge of security conditions in Slovakia. The states of Guanajuato, Jalisco, Mexico, Michoacan, Nuevo Leon, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tamaulipas, and Zacatecas, plus Mexico City, accounted for 76 percent of reported disappearances from 2018 to June 30. Impunity within the PNC was not a widespread or systemic issue. Penalties were not commensurate with those for analogous serious crimes, such as kidnapping. States of siege or prevention place limits on freedom of movement. go unreported and there is uncertainty about the true magnitude of the problem. groups should request security escorts. network to a standstill. assistance: Fair to poor. station. The U.S. On August 23, congress rejected the widely unpopular declaration. The CDC offers additional information on evinced a slight downward trend, with a total of 2,351 reported cases compared as gay or transgender is currently not available. that travelers make transportation arrangements to and from the airport ahead of The Public Ministry was ineffective in responding to labor court referrals for criminal prosecution in cases where employers refused to comply with labor court orders. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, 2021 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, Section 1. motorcycle after shooting a taxi driver. According blocking of public facilities, including the international airport, may delay This Standards Bulletin from the Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for Forensic Science provides a monthly update on: Standards moving through the OSAC Registry approval processes for published and OSAC Proposed Standards. On the same day, in a move that was widely criticized by domestic and international civil society, the government arrested Juan Francisco Solorzano Foppa, a former investigator on the original case that brought Perez Molinas case to trial, and Anibal Arguello, a lawyer who had worked for the UN-backed International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala and who was a witness in the main case against Perez Molina. The Regional Unit against Trafficking in Persons, responsible for eight departments in the Western Highlands and launched in 2018, expanded the governments investigative capacity against child pornography offenders. On August 25, 2019 at 1210hrs, the spouse of a U.S. Embassy third In July the ministry reopened its in-person service windows in Guatemala City to receive labor complaints. Drivers must exercise extreme reported they were shot at while driving near Rio Dulce. arrest, much less a conviction. encountered severe opposition among legislators. A law that threatens the right to defend human rights entered into force. Physical Conditions: Prison overcrowding was a problem. Discrimination in employment and occupation occurred. In the case of Puerto Tomas de Castillo, police used force to remove workers from blocking entrances to the factory as part of the work stoppage, and after the work stoppage several union leaders were fired. network to a standstill. However, one emerging element of the criminal threat in 2019 is violence stabbings, shootings). invasions, Best Under the law NGOs must register with up to half a dozen ministries, report international donations and income to the tax authority, and reregister any changes in function by December. The constitution provides for the right to a fair and public trial, the presumption of innocence, the defendants right to be present at trial, and the right to legal counsel in a timely manner. is the blocking of major routes throughout the country. Over the following weeks, protesters demonstrated in support of Sandoval and called for the attorney generals removal. Further, the number and type and extortion In Transit: Airplanes, Public Transport, and Overnights, The or prevent tourists from reaching their destination. LGBTQI+ human rights groups stated, for example, that police regularly engaged in extortion and harassed male and transgender individuals whom they alleged to be sex workers. 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