Rule of Law Challenges in Guatemala and Honduras

Matt Tromme has a report on Rule of Law Challenges in Guatemala and Honduras that is worth a quick read if you want to get caught up on recent developments in the region.

It is clear also that these reforms and changes will take time. For this to happen, respect and belief in democratic institutions, as well as upholding the laws, is required. As Iván Velásquez, the CICIG Commissioner recently declared: “What began as a crusade against corruption must not only affect organised crime, but it must also seek to establish a culture of legality in society.” Anticipating the challenges ahead, Morales, who appears intent on tackling corruption and reforming the country, has not ruled out calling for a Constituent Assembly in case he does not find the appropriate support in Congress to push them through.

In Honduras, in addition to the role the OAS-backed anti-corruption mission (MACCIH) will eventually play and the significance of the Rosenthal case for the future of the anti-corruption movement, the 2014 ‘Law of Secrets’ has been at the centre of some controversies. Anti-corruption advocates claim it limits the opportunity for and scope of anti-corruption investigations. On the one hand, authorities claim the law can be helpful in uncovering corrupt networks, as was recently the case when tapped telephone conversations lifted the lid on two corrupt judges in Honduras. Regardless, civil society there also seems intent on bringing in change.

Whether this will lead to removing the ruling political elite remains to be seen, as does the overall impact of these anti-corruption movements on the ‘northern triangle’ and Central America as a whole.

See also my Justice Deferred: Rule of Law in Central America for World Politics Review.