The Peasant Development Committee (CODECA) maintains the intention of demonstrating this Monday, April 28, despite the resolution of an amparo by the Constitutional Court (CC) on the afternoon of this Sunday, April 27, which warns President Bernardo Arévalo not to allow blockages in Guatemala.
CODECA representatives indicated that the mobilizations will begin early on Monday, while the Ministry of the Interior (Mingob) and the National Civil Police (PNC) have already established the lines of action and control for the fulfillment of the order of the CC.
Neftalí López, a member of Codca, explained that before the resolution issued by the CC and to carry out the blockages, “it will already be a decision of each place and territory.”
“We did not know that the Amparo appeal was going to be given with place. The action continues, which is already planned, but in each territory the companions who run the movement speak with the National Civil Police and the Attorney General’s Office, and they follow the corresponding protocol,” he said.
López reiterated that the movement stands from 6 in the morning on Monday.
“The movement is still standing, because you did not have the information about that,” CC-
Guarantee free transit
Hours after the resolution of the CC, the Minister of the Interior, Francisco Jimenez, declared in the social network X that “the right to demonstrate is guaranteed by our Constitution, and as authorities we are respectful and guarantors of that fundamental right. It is also the duty of the State to safeguard the free locomotion, security and rights of all persons.”
He stressed: “So far, CODECA public communications have not made explicit mention of blockages and informed citizens and authorities where they will carry out their demonstrations complying with what the law requires. However, the Court of Constitutionality has issued an amparo that precisely instructs the security forces to guarantee free transit in the national territory.”
The official, reiterated that from the Mingob they recognize that “there are tensions, where different social sectors denounce affectations to their fundamental rights, including the exercise of protest, freedom of expression and political participation. We are aware of these concerns and reiterate our commitment to respect for human rights and the rule of law.”
Protocols and dialogue activation
Minister Jiménez stressed that the established protocols will be addressed if any blockage will be presented.
“The Ministry of the Interior reiterates its commitment to act in accordance with the constitutional mandate: simultaneously protect the right of manifestation and the right of locomotion. In the event that the manifestations derive in blockages that affect the free transit, the established protocols will be activated, always prioritizing dialogue, negotiation and unrestricted respect for human rights,” he added.
“The work of security forces is complex: they must protect those who manifest and also those who travel, ensuring that both rights can coexist in balance. The dispersion of our troops by multiple points of the country, in case of simultaneous blockages, inevitably reduces our capacity to prevention of common crime,” said the official.
He concluded with the call to collective responsibility and exercise rights with respect to the rights of others. “Our commitment remains firm: protect, dialogue and always act within the framework of the law.”
Protocols for acting
Meanwhile, Esvin Jacinto, deputy director of Operations of the PNC, commented that the instructions were received to act, after having known the resolution of the CC.
He recalled that as an institution they have protocols for demonstrations and blockages on the routes, “so each police station is being instructed to generate security at the blockage points.”
Regarding the blockage protocol, there are the documents of several institutions to participate with the dialogues they can develop with this type of activities, Jacinto added.
“As an institution they have protocols for manifestations and blockages on the routes, so each police station chief is being instructed to generate security at the blockage points”
Esvin Jacinto, Deputy Director of Operations of the PNC
“In our protocol in these cases there is first a dialogue with people to achieve agreement at some point, because it is necessary as a police institution to deal with agreements, whether there is any enabled route so that traffic can be flowed, and in other cases it has been possible to give lapses of time so that the roads can be enabled,” said the police chief.
He recalled that with this type of activities it is possible to guarantee freedom locomotion and the right of manifestation.
Institutional position
When consultation to the Public Ministry (MP) on the movement for this Monday convened by different social groups, he indicated that the right of demonstration is guaranteed within the catalog of individual rights contemplated by the Political Constitution of the Republic of Guatemala (art. 33), and in that sense, the MP, as an entity whose mandate is to ensure the strict compliance with the laws of the country, “respect the actions that are carried out within that right. public and the rights of other Guatemalans ”.
Regarding the development of the movement, the MP indicates that the constitutional article “is clear” by indicating that the only regulation that is in this regard is that which guarantees public order, and in that sense, the Constitutional Court “has been emphatic in the failures issued in relation to different amparos filed around this type of citizen expressions (and that the most recent is this Sunday), mainly because the right to the right to the Pacific Meeting and demonstration must be guaranteed Then because at no time these actions must violate the rights to life, health, security, freedom of locomotion, among others.
And about the results that could be expected, the MP explained: “On repeated occasions and contrary to what in a wrong and malicious way has been disseminated around this case, the Public Ministry is not against the peaceful demonstrations, on the contrary, we believe in the right to free expression, so that the minimum that can be expected in this others ”.
Vision of political parties in Congress
The deputies Luis Aguirre of the Cabal bench and Román Castellanos de Semilla also set a position on the convened movements.
Aguirre declared that the constitutional right of Guatemalans is respected to express and express their opinions. However, it opposes blockages, since they directly affect the national economy and the daily life of millions of citizens.
“The blockages, such as those promoted by Codca, cause economic losses, hinder honest work and put at risk the safety of all Guatemalans. It is essential that any demonstration be carried out within the framework of the law and without violating the rights of third parties,” he said.
In any case, he said that these blockages can cause confrontation because market representatives have already been expressed, who say there is a negative impact on their businesses. In addition, these “polarizing” blockages give the pretext to the deputies so that they do not appear to work, he said.
Castellanos said that as a bench the right of demonstration and expression of the Guatemalans is respected in demonstrating, so institutions must guarantee the free exercise of the rights manifestation and locomotion.
“They are manifestations convened and must be developed peacefully and aware that there is an anger towards the Attorney General Consuelo Porras, towards democracy and this absurd criminalization against the former president of the 48 cantons and that rejection is reflected expressing in this way in the demonstrations,” he said.