During a summons in Congress, this Wednesday, July 22, details about the elimination of academic records at the University of San Carlos de Guatemala (Usac) and the heavy police presence on campus.
At the meeting it was confirmed that there have been documented specific cases of affected students. Yesenia Chen, deputy director of the Human Rights Ombudsman’s Office (PDH), and David Custodio Boteo, director of the National Civil Police (PNC), were present at the summons.
The deputy director of the PDH explained that the institution opened file 2026-10997 for the “alteration and deletion of the academic record.” According to the official, until then nine students They had requested the support of that institution in defense of their right to access university education.
“We had other students at the reception, who would also be accompanied… we do not have that information yet; we would have to see how many will show up this afternoon,” explained Chen, who estimated that the number could rise to 15 or more as the day progressed.
Chen stressed that the accompaniment seeks to guarantee that students can enter the campus and that the Department of Registration and Statistics receives their memorials.
In response to the questions, the PDH set a period of five days to the university authorities to deliver a detailed report about the disappearance of data.
However, the deputy director admitted that Attorney General José Alejandro Córdova has not attended the state university campus. “Personally he has not done it,” he stated, adding that the verifications were delegated to personnel from that institution.
Absence of university authorities
Although the staff of the Department of Registration and Statistics of the USAC, There was a total absence of its authorities.
Among those mentioned was Bryan Fuentes Paz, head of that department, who was denounced by Congressman Chic before the Prosecutor’s Office for the alleged crimes of suppression, concealment or destruction of documents; destruction of computer records, and abuse of authority.
Given his absence, Fuentes Paz sent a letter in which he assures that he is carrying out administrative actions to “guarantee the right to education.”
Meanwhile, international human rights organizations warned that these actions compromise the “development of life projects” of university students.
A political “pattern of persecution”
Deputy José Chic, who filed a criminal complaint for this case before the Public Ministry (MP) and the same PDH, He was emphatic in pointing out that the loss of data is not a random technical error, but in his opinion, a targeted attack.
“There is a pattern where people whose registration was erased have been participating in 2022 or participating right now in some internal electoral event,” he denounced.
He cited cases in which, in faculties with thousands of studentsonly one student—with opposition political affinity—lost his records.
The legislator recalled that, legally, the academic record is untouchable. “There is no regulation that implies deleting records; even if they expel me from the university… the record is not deleted.” He warned that the delay in resolving these cases is critical for students.
“If they are resolved in August or September, they will lose a semester and, in some cases, a year,” he stressed.
Release of the Usac
Usac, in the absence of a direct press link, released a video on July 21 in which it maintained that the “freezing” of digital records is due to the fact that, during the 2022-2023 takeover, “physical student records were stolen.”
The university made the video public after the media published the students’ complaints, in which it invited those affected to go to a “special window” starting July 22 for an individual “exhaustive review.”
However, affected students describe this version as incongruent.
One student indicated that he started his degree in 2025, so his record could not be affected by events that occurred in previous years and that, during his first year, he had no problems enrolling or assigning courses.
PNC confirms security by order of the CSJ
In addition to the complaints related to the searches, the director of the PNC, David Custodio Boteo, justified the presence of agents at the entrances to Petapa Avenue and the Periférico Ring.
Custodio Boteo read an official letter from the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ) that demanded explanations about the reasons for reducing surveillance.
“They held the Minister of the Interior responsible for the fact that if security was removed and something happened, it would be his responsibility. [del ministro]”, he explained.
Currently, the PNC maintains 30 rotating agents – 15 in each entry – who carry out tasks that the director described as “preventive” to avoid attacks and comply with orders from the Constitutional Court (CC).
However, the subpoena also revealed information about internal security, since, according to the congressman, the USAC has reported the loss of between 30 and 35 firearms and has not updated its weapons possession record in more than eight years.
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Organizations express concern
In a joint statement, international organizations of human rights, including Washington Office on Latin American Affairs (WOLA) and the Guatemala Human Rights Commission/USA (GHRC)expressed their concern about the crisis faced by Usac and warned that preventing students from being assigned courses or entering the campus “commits not only their professional training, but also the development of their life projects”.
Likewise, they condemned “any act of retaliation, intimidation or restriction of the rights of students” for exercising their freedom of expression, participation and petition.
International organizations express concern about the crisis at the University of San Carlos de #Guatemala and retaliation against students who have reported anomalies in the election of the rector.
We call for a solution to the crisis to be found… pic.twitter.com/jNkY63Fm7A
— Impunity Watch in Spanish (@ImpunityWatchGt) July 22, 2026
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