2005 Guatemala Human Rights Practices

The U.S. State Department has just released their 2005 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. According the State Department, "these reports describe the performance of 196 countries in putting into practice their international commitments on human rights."

Not surprisingly, the one country that isn't subject to any scrutiny is the United States itself.

And while the Bush administration certainly lacks the moral authority to judge the protection of human rights in other countries, the report on Guatemala is certainly worth reading for a detailed analysis on the current problems that plague this country.

Here is the introductory section:

Guatemala is a democratic republic with a population of approximately 12.7 million. In 2003 national elections, generally considered by international observers to be free and fair, Oscar Berger of the Grand National Alliance coalition (GANA) won a four-year term, which began in January 2004. While the civilian authorities generally maintained control of the security forces, there were some instances in which members of the police force acted independently.

While the government generally respected the human rights of its citizens, serious problems remained. Corruption and substantial inadequacies in the police and judicial sectors, widespread societal violence, and impunity for criminal activity continued. The following human rights and societal problems were reported:

• unlawful killings committed by members of the security forces

• widespread societal violence, including numerous killings

• police involvement in kidnappings

• harsh and dangerous prison conditions

• arbitrary arrest and detention

• failure of the judicial system to ensure full and timely investigation, fair trials, or due process

• failure to protect judicial sector officials, witnesses, and civil society organizations from intimidation

• impunity

• discrimination and violence against women

• trafficking in persons, including commercial sexual exploitation of children

• ethnic discrimination, particularly against indigenous people

• ineffective enforcement of labor laws, including child labor provisions

Read the entire Guatemala Report

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