APG denounces the arrest and detention of anti-corruption prosecutor in Guatemala Virginia Laparra
The following letter was sent to the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly on March 23, 2023.
Dear Minister Joly,
On behalf of the Americas Policy Group (APG), a national network of Canadian civil society organizations with a 30-year history of working for human rights and justice in Latin America and the Caribbean, we are writing to express our concern regarding the situation of Virginia Laparra in Guatemala.
Virginia is a Prisoner of Conscience detained solely for her efforts to combat corruption and impunity in her country. This month marks one year since she was arbitrarily deprived of her liberty, and it is in this context that we write to you to request that Canada takes decisive action to guarantee her rights.
Virginia is a prominent anti-corruption prosecutor in Guatemala. Between 2016 and 2022, she served as the Head of the Special Prosecutors Unit Against Impunity (FECI) in Quetzaltenango. In 2018, as part of her duties, she filed an administrative complaint against a judge for sharing confidential information. In response, authorities arrested her and sentenced her to four years in jail.
APG member, Amnesty International, has documented numerous irregularities in the criminal proceedings against Virginia. Firstly, there is an overwhelming lack of evidence to sustain the charges filed against her. Secondly, parts of the proceedings that she has faced have been held under conditions of secrecy, rather than being open to the public as a means of guaranteeing her right to a fair trial. Thirdly, prior to her sentence, Virginia was held in pre-trial detention without any objective justification. And finally, Virginia is currently facing two separate criminal processes over the same set of events, which constitutes malicious litigation, and has been permitted by judicial authorities without clear cause. These and other due process violations have led Amnesty International to conclude that Virginia Laparra is arbitrarily detained. This is also the position of the APG.
As you are no doubt aware, in recent years Guatemalan authorities have undertaken a campaign of repression against justice operators, human rights defenders, and journalists working on anti-corruption and anti-impunity issues in the country. A large number of them have fled the country fearing reprisals as a consequence of their work.
It is in this context that APG member, Amnesty International, considers Virginia Laparra to be a Prisoner of Conscience, detained solely as a result of her work on corruption and anti-impunity issues.
We would also like to highlight the fact that Virginia is currently suffering from a medical emergency, and requires urgent attention that has not yet been granted by authorities.
With this in mind, we call upon you to adopt urgent measures to protect the rights of Virginia Laparra. In particular, we call upon Canada to:
Use diplomatic channels to call for the immediate and unconditional release of Virginia Laparra and for Guatemalan authorities to take immediate measures to guarantee her right to health, granting her request to receive immediate treatment in a private clinic.
Publicly denounce the criminalization of Virginia Laparra and publicly call for her immediate and unconditional release.
Adopt all feasible measures to help put an end to the persecution and criminalization faced by justice workers, human rights defenders, and journalists in Guatemala as a result of their work.
The APG looks forward to hearing from you regarding this paramount case. Our national group brings together over twenty international development and humanitarian NGOs, human rights organizations, labour unions, faith-based and solidarity groups, and research institutions. The strength of APG’s policy and advocacy work lies in our direct connection with respected civil society organizations on the ground in Guatemala. We remain committed to sharing relevant information and recommendations with you in order to inform Canadian foreign policy and engagement in Guatemala.