Assessing International Criminal Justice in Guatemala: Evolutions and Ongoing Challenges

Abstract

This article examines the codification of international crimes in domestic law, the prosecution of international crimes committed during Guatemala’s Internal Armed Conflict, and the challenges in implementing the Rome Statute for the International Criminal Court (icc). It underscores the essential role of civil society in the fight against impunity through strategic litigation and memory initiatives, thus contributing to advances in justice. It exposes the impact of Inter-American Court of Human Rights’ rulings demanding reparations for victims of international crimes as a catalyst for domestic prosecution efforts. Furthermore, the establishment of the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (cicig) with the support of the UN represented a significant advance in justice. However, the abrupt end by the Guatemalan government of the cicig was a significant setback. Ongoing challenges involve maintaining progress within Guatemala’s criminal justice system, as many justice operators who had worked alongside cicig faced criminalization and were forced into exile.