US ambassador to Guatemala shows support for persecuted judge

Guatemala City, March 9 (EFE). The US ambassador to Guatemala, William Pope, accompanied famous local judge Erika Ivan Davila to a hearing Wednesday for a court action against her that threatens to leave her without immunity.

The US official was present at the court tower of the Guatemalan judiciary, in the center of the capital, to show his support for Ivan Davila during his legal proceedings, as confirmed by Eve.

The judge, internationally recognized for her work, is in charge of the High-Stakes Court “D” of the Guatemalan Judicial Authority.

Evan Davila already last week received support from Kerry Kennedy, president of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Human Rights in the United States, who personally accompanied her at the start of court proceedings against her on March 4.

Kennedy, daughter of American politician Robert F. Kennedy asserted on March 4, while visiting Guatemala, that she was in the Central American nation “because one of the best judges in this country is falsely accused, and persecuted in retaliation by their work in the fight against corruption.”

For his part, Pope has not made any statements this Wednesday so far outside the second appeals chamber of the Guatemalan judiciary, which has a file on whether or not the judge’s immunity has been withdrawn.

Ivan Davila has several high-impact cases, including the legal process “Parallel Commissions 2020” in which the judiciary’s judges and president, the Supreme Court of Justice, are investigated for attempting to rig the election of nearly 230 judges in 2019 and 2020.

Specifically, it is because of the “Parallel Commissions 2020” case in which he may lose his immunity, that Evan Davila was accused for his actions in the judicial process in a complaint requested by the Institute of Judges of the Judicial Court of Appeals organism and verified by the Supreme.

In March 2021, Evan Davila was awarded the “Woman’s Courage” award from the first lady of the United States, Jill Biden, along with other women from 15 countries.

Evan Davila has denounced harassment of all kinds against her for several months and has also indicated that her life is in danger if she loses immunity as a judge.

At least 13 Guatemalan anti-corruption workers have left the country for exile in recent years, but especially in recent weeks, due to the “judicial persecution” they say they were victims of by the public prosecutor (the deputy, the prosecutor’s office) after a crackdown Historic anti-corruption organization from the same institution between 2014 and 2020. EFE

JCM/LL