In a significant victory against injustice, a judge in Guatemala City has granted the immediate release of Virginia Laparra, the former prosecutor of the Special Prosecutor’s Office against Impunity (FECI), on Tuesday.
“Virginia Laparra’s release brings relief after nearly two years of unjust imprisonment as a prisoner of conscience. Her return to freedom is a crucial step towards ending the egregious human rights violations she endured as retaliation for her exemplary work as an anti-corruption prosecutor.”
“However, it is disheartening that Virginia Laparra continues to carry the burden of an unjust conviction and faces another baseless trial, emblematic of the disturbing trend of criminalization targeting those at the forefront of the fight against impunity. Rights groups urgently call upon Guatemalan authorities to halt the misuse of the criminal justice system to harass, intimidate, and punish judges, prosecutors, human rights defenders, and journalists.”
“Virginia Laparra’s recognition as a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International and the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention underscores the injustice of her detention, solely attributable to her human rights advocacy as head of FECI in Quetzaltenango. International mobilization by thousands of human rights activists amplifies the demand for her immediate and unconditional release.”
“The baseless persecution of Virginia Laparra occurs within a broader context of attacks against numerous individuals involved in investigating high-profile cases of corruption and human rights abuses. Guatemala’s Human Rights Defenders Protection Unit reports a staggering 3,754 attacks against human rights defenders in 2022, leading to the forced exile of at least 73 judicial workers, journalists, and activists.”
