Guatemala’s offensive against gangs following the killing of 11 policemen in January is being carried out “without abuse” or “arbitrary arrests,” Defense Minister Henry Saenz assured in an interview with AFP, stating that it differs from the security model adopted by Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele.
The Guatemalan government placed the country under a state of siege for a month between January and February, then reduced military and police operations in six departments, including the capital, which were placed under a state of prevention.
The minister emphasizes that these exceptional states are part of Bernardo Arévalo’s security strategy that respects human rights, distinguishing it from Bukele’s “war” on gangs that allows for detentions without a judicial warrant.
Saenz told AFP that the “non-abusive” fight against Barrio 18 and Mara Salvatrucha gangs, declared terrorist organizations by the US and Guatemala, is a “longer but better path for everyone.”
Question: What is the outcome of the states of exception? Answer: “All the searches we conducted were with a judge’s warrant. Respecting human rights, reinforcing the democracy architecture that deserves to be highlighted to the international community. The outcome is positive, we have regained control of the territory. We have cut off communication for gang leaders who found themselves without direction, without orders, and as a result, we have succeeded in reducing homicides by 50% and extortions by 33%. But, even though the numbers are very encouraging, we are not naïve. We have made some progress, but there is still a lot to do, a lot to dismantle (…) before we can say that (the gangs) have lost their grip.”
Q: Is there a risk of new prison uprisings like those in January? A: “The threat is latent, permanent. For the Guatemalan army, the work involves ensuring that inside prisons they do not have any element that could lead them (…) to mutiny again, take hostages, and commit murders (…) for this strategy to be sustainable over time.”
Q: Have you considered copying certain aspects of Bukele’s model in El Salvador? A: “No. We are a democratic country. The high-security prison that is currently being designed meets international certifications. We will not overcrowd 200, 300 people in a single space with one bathroom. We will not do it because every human being continues to be human, and we have understood this well in Guatemala, and everyone has rights. We do not defend criminals, we fight, pursue, and arrest them within a legal system and competencies. Far from adopting a model, we propose to create one. It is a longer but better path for everyone.”
Q: What have you done to prevent abuses like those reported during anti-gang operations in El Salvador and Honduras? A: “We have been in a state of exception for two months (first a siege, then prevention) and there has not been a single complaint of abuse. What have we done? Respect the Guatemalan citizen in all their civil rights. The idea is to consolidate the basic concept of the operation so that the army can participate without infringing or violating citizens’ rights.”
Q: Can you guarantee that there have been no arbitrary detentions? A: “Not a single one. We waited for orders from a competent judge, we were accompanied by civil security forces, and we did not commit any arbitrary actions.”
Q: What do you expect from the alliance against drug trafficking led by the United States? A: We need all the armed forces in the hemisphere to be involved in the fight against cartels. We are already doing this. Better times are coming, where all, without exception, will fight drug trafficking from our respective positions.”
Published on March 24 at 8:15 PM GMT, AFP
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