Thousands of people in Guatemala protest calling for president to resign Reuters

Sofia Menchu

Guatemala City (Reuters)-Thousands of Guatemalans took to the streets to protest on Thursday, setting fires and blocking roads across Central American countries, demanding that President Alejandro Gamatai speak in front of a famous counter Corruption prosecutors resigned after being fired.

Since Guatemala’s Attorney General Maria Porras removed the anti-corruption fighter Juan Francisco Sandoval as head of the Special Prosecutor’s Office (FECI) against impunity last week, he has protested The momentum of the activity was strong, and the move aroused condemnation from Washington.

Sandoval, who left Guatemala last weekend, said he was fired after the attorney general prevented him from trying to investigate corruption related to Jamatai. The president denied involvement in corruption.

In an interview with a local TV channel last weekend, Polas said that her behavior is always transparent. “(Sandoval) exercised selective justice because he tried to prosecute people with the opposite ideology,” she said.

In Guatemala City, thousands of people marched from the presidential palace to the attorney general’s office, holding signs that read “Giammattei, resign.”

Demonstrators set fire to tires and sprayed paint on police officers deployed to protect government buildings.

“Today we are in front of the presidential palace, but the president does not live here: the traitor lives here,” said Samuel Perez, an opposition lawmaker who joined the protesters.

The demonstrations in the capital were part of a national strike by indigenous leaders, social groups and student organizations calling for the resignation of Jamatah and Bolas.

In poor countries, protesters protesters blocked traffic at major intersections and a banner chosen two years ago called for the departure of the chairman.

“We are here to tell the president that we don’t recognize him as president because he no longer represents the interests of our country,” said Martín Toc, an indigenous leader from Totonicapan in western Guatemala.

U.S. suspension of cooperation

The United States, which strongly condemns Sandoval’s dismissal, said on Tuesday that it was suspending some cooperation with the Attorney General of Guatemala because it tried to pressure Central American governments to end impunity.

The administration of US President Joe Biden has made anti-corruption a core element of its strategy for the region because it aims to address the root cause of the increase in illegal immigration to the United States this year.

In recent months, Washington has revoked the US visas of two senior judges in Guatemala on suspicion of corruption, and criticized lawmakers for refusing to take an oath to an anti-corruption judge.

In a statement shared on Twitter, Jameta said on Thursday that the U.S. decision to suspend support for the Attorney General had “backfired” in the fight against organized crime and corruption.

Ricardo Zuniga, the U.S. Special Envoy for the Northern Triangle, told reporters in Washington when asked about Gamatai’s comments that Sandoval’s removal has raised serious questions about Guatemala’s commitment to combat corruption.

“In our response, we made it very clear that we have lost confidence in the attorney general,” he said.

Although the police guarding the government building confronted the protesters in the capital, there were no reports of violence.

After Sandoval was fired, hundreds of Guatemalans protested outside the presidential palace on Saturday, followed by demonstrations on Thursday.

In November last year, a group of demonstrators set fire to the parliament building for cutting education and health expenses in the 2021 budget, and the Jamatai government also faced protests. A few days later, Congress withdrew the budget.