ENGEL TO PRESIDENT OF GUATEMALA: CONTINUE COUNTRY’S INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION AGAINST IMPUNITY
WASHINGTON, DC—Representative Eliot L. Engel, the leading Democrat on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and a former Chairman of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, today was joined by Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA), Western Hemisphere Subcommittee Chairman Jeff Duncan (R-SC), and Western Hemisphere Subcommittee Ranking Member Albio Sires (D-NJ), in urging Guatemalan President Otto Pérez Molina to renew the mandate of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) when its mandate expires in September.
The CICIG was created in 2007 and has played a crucial role in combating powerful and violent criminal networks in Guatemala. It has also spearheaded reforms in the country’s justice system and helped to improve the investigative capacity of local police and prosecutors.
“As the United States ramps up our investment in Central America, we need to work with trusted institutions with track records of results. The CICIG has had a powerful impact in reducing extremely high levels of impunity in Guatemala. I urge President Perez Molina to renew CICIG’s mandate when it expires in September,” said Rep. Engel.
