Attorney General
Licda. María Consuelo Porras Argueta
Fiscal General de la República
Ministerio Público
15 Avenida 15-16 zona 1
Edificio Gerona 8º Nivel
Ciudad de Guatemala, 01001
May 13, 2024
Dear Attorney General:
We are deeply distressed over the attacks, arrest, harassment, intimidation, and threats against public prosecutor Miriam Reguero Sosa. Despite her impressive public service career as a prosecutor in the Liquidation Section (sección liquiadora) of the Public Ministry (MP), she has been accused of money laundering, neglect of duties, and abuse of authority.
Miriam Reguero Sosa was initially attacked in 2022 when armed assailants riding a motorcycle fired on her vehicle, resulting in the death of her security guard. On March 27 of this year, she was injured in a second attack and survived, but her 65-year-old mother, Miriam Sosa, and security guard, Carlos Humberto González, were killed. The attack in Zone 9 of the capital, recorded by security cameras installed at Instituto Guatemalteco de Seguridad Social, shows four attackers wearing clothes similar to the National Police (PNC) approaching from a black car. One subject draws his gun and shoots at one of her bodyguards. Seconds later, three other men shoot all three victims. The two women fall to the ground. The assailants run towards Reforma Avenue, where they flee on two motorcycles they had parked there.
Then on April 11 police raided the home of Miriam Reguero Sosa and arrested her. In a news video clip, she described her disbelief that just two weeks after the burial of her mother, the Public Ministry resorted to arresting her, instead of employing an effective investigation to uncover the aggressors responsible for the deadly attack. She was dressed in a helmet and bulletproof vest the following day when a police contingent escorted her into a courtroom for arraignment. The court rejected all the charges presented by the Public Ministry for lack of evidence, except for the abuse of authority charge. She was released and granted house arrest without paying bond.
On April 8, PNC announced that they had captured three suspects (gang members from Barrio 18) who had vests with MP logos. Nevertheless, Miriam Reguero Sosa continues to fear for her life and the lives of her family members. We therefore urge that you:
- continue the investigation into the intellectual and material actors in the double assassination of Miriam Sosa and Carlos Humberto González, publish the results, and bring those responsible to justice
- review the protection scheme for Miriam Reguero Sosa, in accordance with her wishes, to guarantee her safety
- allow Miriam Reguero Sosa to conduct her professional activities of protecting human rights and uncovering corruption without fear of restrictions or reprisals.
Sincerely,
Brian J. Stefan Szittai and Christine Stonebraker Martínez
Co-coordinators
copies:
Lic. José Alejandro Córdova Herrera, Ombudsman for Human Rights of Guatemala (PDH) ~ via email
Hugo Beteta, Ambassador of Guatemala to the US ~ email, US mail
IACHR: Andrea Pochak, Rapporteur for Guatemala, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights ~ via email and US mail
OACNUDH: Mika Kanervavuori, Oficina del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos en Guatemala (UN)) ~ via email
US State Department: Guatemala Desk Officers in Washington, DC ~ vial email
US State Department: William Popp, US Ambassador to Guatemala, in care of Angela Melton ~ via email
US Senators Brown & Vance ~ via email
US Representatives Beatty, Brown, Jordan, Joyce, Kaptur, Latta, Miller, Sykes ~ via email
11 APR 2024_PrensaLibre_Guatemala
