COMMUNIQUE OF THE IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY IN THE UNITED STATES AND OTHER COUNTRIES​

Guatemalans residing abroad, variously organized, declare:

1. That we have done everything possible to assist from abroad the development of our country. According to data of April 8, 2021, contributed by Swissinfo.ch, “Just in 2020, Guatemala ended up with 11,340.4 million dollars sent from abroad, which represented a new record by surpassing the 10,508.3 million of 2019”. According to the Bank of Guatemala, remissions exceed total foreign exchange earnings for the same period. We love the land where we were born, because of which, what occurs in Guatemala affects us.

2. We make evident our indignation at the illegal firing of JUAN FRANCISCO SANDOVAL ALFARO, Head of the Special Prosecutor’s Office against Impunity in the Public Ministry, treacherously perpetrated by the Attorney General, in an act that demonstrates the loss of independence of a key institution for consolidation of the rule of law.

3. We demand the resignation of the Attorney General and head of the Public Ministry, Consuelo Porras, for failing in her constitutional duty to guarantee the autonomy of that institution, defense of legality, civic rights and the public interest, and ensuring the proper and effective administration of justice. It is evident that Consuelo Porras is infringing by her actions on these principles, which puts Guatemala on the verge of being a failed State.

4. We demand of Alejandro Giammattei his resignation as President of Guatemala. His behavior is deplorable, including in the arbitrary conduct of the government, has inattention to the victims of natural disasters and the pandemic, the lack of transparency in the management of State resources, and the enormous international indebtedness to which he has brought our country. At the same time, we demand the resignation of the cabinet under him, which has been characterized by its abuses in the exercise of power, clientelism, embezzlement and theft of budgetary resources, which are well known to Guatemalans, governments and agencies of international cooperation which through various means support programs of development, good government and transparency.

5. We express to JUAN FRANCISCO SANDOVAL ALFARO our respect, solidarity and thanks for his ethics and professional dedication to the struggle against corruption in Guatemala, both during the period when he worked effectively in coordination with CICIG, as well as during the last three years in which he functioned as Head of the Special Prosecutor’s Office against Impunity. We acknowledge his professional diligence and love for our country, as well as the performance of the prosecutors and honest judges, several of them in exile, in the search to secure a system of justice for all the peoples of Guatemala – Mayas, Garifunas, Xinkas and Mestizos.Guatemala is for everyone, let us go in unity, towards a pluri-national state. You will bloom, Guatemala!

July 29, 2021