For Immediate Release: July 28, 2009

(Guatemala, July 28, 2009) Human Rights First, in conjunction with the organizations comprising the Convergencia por los Derechos Humanos, has concluded an observatory mission to Guatemala on the state of human rights.  After analyzing their findings, Human Rights First and the Convergencia por los Derechos Humanos have arrived at the following conclusions:

1.  Past Mass Atrocities Must Be Investigated and Prosecuted

Atrocities committed during the internal armed conflict are rarely prosecuted, resulting in impunity for the perpetrators of crimes against humanity and genocide.  Despite important achievements, including an order to release military archives related to cases of genocide, the capture of the intellectual authors of the detention of Fernando Garc