{"id":1834,"date":"2018-05-09T17:44:34","date_gmt":"2018-05-09T23:44:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/supportthebitkovs.com\/?p=1834"},"modified":"2018-05-09T17:50:50","modified_gmt":"2018-05-09T23:50:50","slug":"english-your-taxpayer-dollars-at-the-u-n","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/supportthebitkovs.com\/en\/2018\/05\/09\/english-your-taxpayer-dollars-at-the-u-n\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Taxpayer Dollars at the U.N."},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"article_header module\">\n<div class=\"zonedModule\" data-module-id=\"17\" data-module-name=\"article.app\/lib\/module\/articleHeadline\" data-module-zone=\"article_header\">\n<div class=\"wsj-article-headline-wrap \">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/supportthebitkovs.com\/es\/2018\/05\/09\/english-your-taxpayer-dollars-at-the-u-n\/\">ESPA\u00d1OL DISPONIBLE AQU\u00cd<\/a><\/p>\n<h2><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1574\" src=\"http:\/\/supportthebitkovs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/The-Wall-Street-Journal-Caso-Familia-Rusa-Bitkovs.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"703\" height=\"82\" srcset=\"https:\/\/supportthebitkovs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/The-Wall-Street-Journal-Caso-Familia-Rusa-Bitkovs.png 583w, https:\/\/supportthebitkovs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/The-Wall-Street-Journal-Caso-Familia-Rusa-Bitkovs-300x35.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 703px) 100vw, 703px\" \/><\/h2>\n<h2 class=\"sub-head\" style=\"text-align: center;\">The case of the Bitkovs gets more outrageous.<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"column at8-col8 at12-col7 at16-col9 at16-offset1\">\n<div class=\"module\">\n<div class=\"zonedModule\" data-module-id=\"16\" data-module-name=\"article.app\/lib\/module\/articleBody\" data-module-zone=\"article_body\">\n<div id=\"wsj-article-wrap\" class=\"article-wrap\" data-sbid=\"SB10125016468477304653904584212202572926562\" data-immersiveads=\"\">\n<div id=\"cx-articlecover\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"articlebody-i18n\" data-i18n-hide-caption=\"HIDE CAPTION\" data-i18n-show-caption=\"SHOW CAPTION\" data-i18n-advertisement=\"Advertisement\">\n<figure id=\"attachment_1835\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1835\" style=\"width: 1260px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1835 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/supportthebitkovs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Ivan-Velasquez-Caso-Bitkov-CICIG-persigue-a-Igor-Bitkov.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1260\" height=\"840\" srcset=\"https:\/\/supportthebitkovs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Ivan-Velasquez-Caso-Bitkov-CICIG-persigue-a-Igor-Bitkov.jpg 1260w, https:\/\/supportthebitkovs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Ivan-Velasquez-Caso-Bitkov-CICIG-persigue-a-Igor-Bitkov-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/supportthebitkovs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Ivan-Velasquez-Caso-Bitkov-CICIG-persigue-a-Igor-Bitkov-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/supportthebitkovs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Ivan-Velasquez-Caso-Bitkov-CICIG-persigue-a-Igor-Bitkov-1024x683.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1835\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The head of the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), Colombian Ivan Velasquez (C), attends the ceremony in Guatemala City, May 7. PHOTO: JOHAN ORDONEZ\/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE\/GETTY IMAGES<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"byline\" style=\"text-align: right;\">By\u00a0 The Editorial Board<br \/>\n<time class=\"timestamp\">May 9, 2018 7:18 p.m. ET<br \/>\nSource:\u00a0https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/your-taxpayer-dollars-at-the-u-n-1525907914<\/time><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"is-lead-inset\">\n<div class=\" media-object type-InsetMediaIllustration header \" data-layout=\"header \" data-layout-mobile=\"\">\n<div class=\"media-object-image enlarge-image renoImageFormat- img-header\">\n<div class=\"image-container responsive-media\" data-mobile-ratio=\"66.66666666666666%\" data-layout-ratio=\"66.66666666666666%\" data-subtype=\"photo\">\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">A United Nations prosecutor partly funded by the U.S. was supposed to be a cure for corruption in Guatemala. But the U.N. International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala\u2014or CICIG by its Spanish initials\u2014has had almost no oversight since it was established in 2006. Now it too is accused of corruption and politicizing the judiciary.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">There\u2019s nothing strange about absolute power run amuck. But it is weird that an army from the State Department, nonprofits and some business groups are resisting sunlight for a U.N. body that answers to no one.<\/p>\n<div class=\"paywall\">\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The good news is that Republican Sens. Roger Wicker (Miss.), Marco Rubio (Fla.) and Mike Lee (Utah) and Rep. Chris Smith (R., N.J.) are more insistent. On Monday they sent a letter to the Chairman of the House subcommittee on state and foreign operations, Rep. Hal Rogers (R., Ky.), requesting a hold on a $6 million disbursement for CICIG until \u201cCongress has conducted appropriate oversight.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The signers are alarmed by the testimony of Guatemalan lawyers for the Russian family of Igor Bitkov at a Helsinki Commission hearing in Washington on April 27. The attorneys recounted the violations of civil liberties that the family has suffered at the hands of CICIG in cooperation with a Russian bank and the Guatemalan attorney general. CICIG refused to answer questions before the commission.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Guatemala\u2019s constitutional court has upheld a ruling that the family are migrants and committed only administrative offenses. But rather than release them, on Wednesday a lower-court judge delivered a written order for a new trial for Mr. Bitkov.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">CICIG is an unelected U.N. body and lead prosecutor Iv\u00e1n Vel\u00e1squez has the power of a viceroy. He has cowed many locals into supporting him if they want to stay out of jail. Others are cheering him on as he threatens to bring down President Jimmy Morales. That\u2019s something to keep in mind as CICIG advocates bombard Capitol Hill to defend CICIG\u2019s unchecked authority.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Their best argument is that CICIG has done some good things. Yet that will come out in any investigation\u2014as will abuses of power. If Republican chairmen with the authority over taxpayer money have any interest in stabilizing Central America, they will halt the CICIG financing and begin a review.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"fb-background-color\">\n\t\t\t  <div \n\t\t\t  \tclass = \"fb-comments\" \n\t\t\t  \tdata-href = \"https:\/\/supportthebitkovs.com\/en\/2018\/05\/09\/english-your-taxpayer-dollars-at-the-u-n\/\"\n\t\t\t  \tdata-numposts = \"10\"\n\t\t\t  \tdata-lazy = \"true\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-colorscheme = \"light\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-order-by = \"social\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-mobile=true>\n\t\t\t  <\/div><\/div>\n\t\t  <style>\n\t\t    .fb-background-color {\n\t\t\t\tbackground:  !important;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t.fb_iframe_widget_fluid_desktop iframe {\n\t\t\t    width: 100% !important;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t  <\/style>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ESPA\u00d1OL DISPONIBLE AQU\u00cd The case of the Bitkovs gets more outrageous. By\u00a0 The Editorial Board May 9, 2018 7:18 p.m. ET Source:\u00a0https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/your-taxpayer-dollars-at-the-u-n-1525907914 A United Nations prosecutor partly funded by the U.S. was supposed to be a cure for corruption in Guatemala. But the U.N. International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala\u2014or CICIG by its Spanish initials\u2014has [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,20,136,146,134,2,137],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1834","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-casobitkovs","7":"category-rusia","8":"category-bitkov","9":"category-bitkov-family","10":"category-breaking-news","11":"category-noticias","12":"category-wall-street-jorunal"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/supportthebitkovs.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1834","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/supportthebitkovs.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/supportthebitkovs.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/supportthebitkovs.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/supportthebitkovs.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1834"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/supportthebitkovs.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1834\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/supportthebitkovs.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1834"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/supportthebitkovs.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1834"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/supportthebitkovs.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1834"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}