Expanding Her Enemy List, Guatemalan AG Accuses Indigenous Leaders of Terrorism
Two Maya K’iche’ pro-democracy leaders who were key in fending off an electoral coup in 2023 and 2024 have now been arrested and accused of terrorism, including a member of President Bernardo Arévalo’s cabinet. In response, Arévalo and Indigenous authorities presented an injunction against the attorney general and called for renewed demonstrations. Amid an ever-steepening assault on anti-coup actors, human rights experts warn about the danger of terrorism charges to curb the right to protest.
Tuesday, May 6th, 2025
Yuliana Ramazzini
On Wednesday, April 23, the Guatemalan Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime arrested Luis Pacheco, the current vice minister of Sustainable Development at the Ministry of Energy and Mines. Pacheco gained a national profile two years ago as president of the Maya K’iche’ authority known as the 48 Cantons of Totonicapán, a key motor in the nationwide pro-democracy movement in 2023 and 2024 to stave off an electoral coup.
The 48 Cantons and other Indigenous authorities mobilized the country in peaceful marches, blockades, and sit-ins, demanding the resignation of Attorney General Consuelo Porras for her illegal attempts to prevent President Bernardo Arévalo from winning the elections, and then from taking office.
They also regularly met with then-president Alejandro Giammattei, Arévalo’s team, the private sector, religious leaders, embassies, and civil society as part of an unprecedented peacetime national dialogue.
Hector Chaclán, a former treasurer of the 48 Cantons, was arrested along with Pacheco. They now stand accused of terrorism and obstruction of criminal proceedings.
They were shuttled to their first hearing on April 25 in an unmarked white panel van, a symbol of state terror alluding to decades ago, when dissidents were routinely disappeared, tortured, and assassinated by state forces and paramilitaries during the internal armed conflict.
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Luis Pacheco, President of the K'iche' Maya authority 48 Cantons of Totonicapan, is seen after meeting with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei and the Mediation Commission of the Organization of American States (OAS) at the Presidential House in Guatemala City on October 12, 2023. Indigenous leaders and the Guatemalan government had failed to reach an agreement on Thursday to free dozens of roads taken by protesters for 11 days demanding the resignation of Attorney General Consuelo Porras, as she sought to illegally overturn the election results.(Photo: Johan Ordóñez)AFP
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https://beta.elfaro.net/en/central-america-en/expanding-her-enemy-list-guatemalan-ag-accuses-indigenous-leaders-of-terrorism
Attorney General Consuelo Porras
Hench individual Porras, in the fond embrace of Trump's Attorney General from his first occupation of the White House