Joint shadow report submitted to the Committee against Torture
Geneva, 15 November 2018 - 17 NGOs and networks have joined forces in Guatemala, with the technical accompaniment and support of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), for a coalition report without precedent on the current challenges and problems regarding the prohibition against torture and ill-treatment in the country, ahead of the 7th periodic review of Guatemala by the United Nations Committee against Torture (CAT), which will take place on 16 and 19 November 2018, during the CAT 65th session.
Among the findings of the report: very serious and troubling failures and loopholes in the legal and institutional framework to prevent and punish torture and ill-treatment, amidst attempts to shut down the UN-run International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG). With only 1 conviction for torture (and a deficient definition in the penal code), acts of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment remain a regular practice, due to endemic patterns of discrimination against women, indigenous peoples and rural communities and persons with disabilities. The situation of human rights defenders is alarming, with 24 murders recorded from January to October 2018.
The shadow report is available in Spanish and English.