{"id":2095,"date":"2018-09-05T11:09:33","date_gmt":"2018-09-05T17:09:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/supportthebitkovs.com\/?p=2095"},"modified":"2018-09-05T11:21:34","modified_gmt":"2018-09-05T17:21:34","slug":"el-presidente-de-guatemala-defiende-la-democracia-contra-las-naciones-unidas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/supportthebitkovs.com\/en\/2018\/09\/05\/el-presidente-de-guatemala-defiende-la-democracia-contra-las-naciones-unidas\/","title":{"rendered":"Guatemala\u2019s President Defends Democracy Against 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\/09\/05\/el-presidente-de-guatemala-defiende-la-democracia-contra-las-naciones-unidas\/\"><strong>ESPA\u00d1OL DISPONIBLE AQU\u00cc:<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"sub-head\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">He booted the Commission Against Impunity, which has jailed innocents while promoting socialism.<\/h2>\n<figure style=\"width: 1242px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/si.wsj.net\/public\/resources\/images\/B3-BP363_OGrady_GR_20180904151034.jpg\" alt=\"Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales speaks at the Ministry of Education building in Guatemala City, Sep. 3.\" width=\"1242\" height=\"810\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales speaks at the Ministry of Education building in Guatemala City, Sep. 3. PHOTO: JOHAN ORDONEZ\/AFP\/GETTY IMAGES<\/figcaption><\/figure>\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 style=\"text-align: right;\">\n<div class=\"comments-count-container\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"byline article__byline\" style=\"text-align: right;\">By\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Mary Anastasia O\u2019Grady<\/span><\/div>\n<p><time class=\"timestamp article__timestamp\">Sept. 4, 2018 6:05 p.m. ET<\/time><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-i18n-hide-caption=\"HIDE CAPTION\" data-i18n-show-caption=\"SHOW CAPTION\" data-i18n-advertisement=\"Advertisement\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales announced Friday that the agreement his country has with the United Nations Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala won\u2019t be renewed. The commission\u2014known by its Spanish acronym, CICIG\u2014has one year to tie up its work and, by Sept. 3, 2019, leave the country.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mr. Morales sent a letter to the U.N. secretary-general advising him of the decision. In a press conference Mr. Morales said that CICIG should immediately begin transferring its responsibilities to \u201ccorresponding [Guatemalan] entities,\u201d mainly the attorney general.<\/p>\n<div id=\"cx-read-next-mobile\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"paywall\">\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">On Monday CICIG\u2019s top prosecutor, Colombian Iv\u00e1n Vel\u00e1squez, flew to Washington, though he didn\u2019t reveal why and has no public events scheduled. His spokesman said the trip had been planned for a while. It wouldn\u2019t be the first time the prosecutor went north on a secret mission.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The U.S. Congress pays a substantial part of CICIG\u2019s budget, but Mr. Vel\u00e1squez has refused to answer questions at congressional hearings or in any public forum. Instead he meets behind closed doors on Capitol Hill, where he can control the narrative in front of an audience\u2014both left and right\u2014that is unfamiliar with or doesn\u2019t care about CICIG\u2019s transgressions against innocent Guatemalans. He also seems to have State Department sympathizers.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mr. Morales\u2019s detractors charge that he fired Mr. Vel\u00e1squez to protect himself. CICIG has been investigating the president and alleges that he was the beneficiary of illegal campaign financing. He denies wrongdoing and enjoys immunity as long as he holds office. Mr. Vel\u00e1squez has been working to lift that immunity.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mr. Vel\u00e1squez might successfully defend his commission if the standoff with the president were the only disputed issue. But under his leadership there is strong evidence that CICIG routinely flouts the rule of law and tramples civil liberties in violation of the Guatemalan constitution. His methods can\u2019t be supported by a republic that pledges allegiance to transparency and human rights.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">CICIG was born in 2006 and began its work in 2007. It was supposed to investigate criminal networks operating inside state institutions under a temporary mandate. U.S. and European Union support gave it enormous clout, and Guatemalans welcomed the idea of outside help to defeat corruption.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">But over the years CICIG expanded its authority to advance the politics of the extreme left, which seeks to consolidate power by gaining control of institutions. It\u2019s the same strategy employed by the late Venezuelan dictator Hugo Ch\u00e1vez.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mr. Vel\u00e1squez isn\u2019t an elected official. He\u2019s more of a modern-day viceroy, suppressing with force opposition in the \u201ccolony\u201d from those who challenge his authority. Guatemalans have come to understand that to complain about the illegal methods of CICIG is to risk public condemnation as a friend of the corrupt\u2014or even investigation and preventive detention. Shady businessmen, politicians, notorious thugs and especially judges seem to be given a pass so long as they embrace Mr. Vel\u00e1squez\u2019s agenda or stay out of his way. In other words, CICIG\u2019s administration of justice has been selective.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Guatemalans have been afraid to speak out. But that changed when William Browder, a victim of Vladimir Putin\u2019s global vengeance, defended\u00a0<a class=\"icon none\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/kremlin-revenge-in-guatemala-1522005077?mod=article_inline\">the Bitkov family<\/a>. The Bitkovs had fled Russia to escape Mr. Putin\u2019s clutches but fell into the snare of human traffickers in Guatemala. Putin henchmen followed the family to Central America and enlisted the help of CICIG to jail them.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In April congressional hearings, Americans learned for the first time about Mr. Vel\u00e1squez\u2019s extralegal prosecution of the Bitkovs. CICIG had even thrown 3-year-old Vladimir Bitkov into a state orphanage, denying him his right to a legal guardian when his parents were carted off to prison. CICIG declined to send someone appear at the hearing and defend its actions. Perhaps now Guatemala\u2019s attorney general can conduct a full investigation into what looks like\u00a0<a class=\"icon none\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/russias-dubious-guatemala-story-1523817541?mod=article_inline\">collusion<\/a>\u00a0between Russia and CICIG.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Another egregious CICIG case is the\u00a0<a class=\"icon none\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/the-u-s-funds-guatemalan-abuse-1534707971?mod=article_inline\">jailing of Max Quirin<\/a>, a well-respected Guatemalan businessman who has been denied the presumption of innocence and has been in captivity since May 2015. At his trial, CICIG was unable to present evidence of any crime yet Mr. Quirin has repeatedly has been denied bail or even house arrest.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The international left has cheered the murky influence and capriciousness of CICIG because it strong-arms and silences ideological opponents of socialism. In CICIG, socialists inside and outside the U.N. believed they had found a model they could plop down all over the developing world to weaken advocates of center-right ideas and empower collectivism, all under the pretense of fighting corruption. Rumors abound that the Constitutional Court, an ally of Mr. Vel\u00e1squez, is getting ready to declare the president\u2019s decision illegal. That would explain why, on Tuesday, Mr. Morales announced that Mr. Vel\u00e1squez will not be allowed back in the country.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mr. Morales\u2019s decision to order army jeeps to the street in front of CICIG offices on Friday morning was unnecessary and counterproductive. His critics immediately accused him of intimidation and of militarizing the government. But the decision to expel the commission is his right as the elected leader of a sovereign nation, and he has ample justification.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><em>Ms. O\u2019Grady is the Journal\u2019s Americas columnist.<\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Guatemala\u2019s president is defending democracy against the U.N., writes <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MaryAnastasiaOG?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@MaryAnastasiaOG<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/hJm6OzaUKa\">https:\/\/t.co\/hJm6OzaUKa<\/a> via <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WSJopinion?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@WSJOpinion<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; MaryAnastasiaO&#39;Grady (@MaryAnastasiaOG) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MaryAnastasiaOG\/status\/1037110576990904321?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 4, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"es\" dir=\"ltr\">Exelente articulo de <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WSJ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@WSJ<\/a> escrito por <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MaryAnastasiaOG?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@MaryAnastasiaOG<\/a> Presidente de Guatemala <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jimmymoralesgt?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@jimmymoralesgt<\/a> defiende a la democracia contra <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ONU_es?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@ONU_es<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ZO73mu5AUn\">https:\/\/t.co\/ZO73mu5AUn<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Irina Bitkova (@Irina_Bitkova) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Irina_Bitkova\/status\/1037208252738686976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 5, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"es\" dir=\"ltr\">Exelente art\u00edculo en WSJ . &quot; El presidente de Guatemala protege la democracia contra agencia de ONU que encarcela a los inocentes y realiza su agenda socialista. &quot; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/b1bPUJQNLL\">https:\/\/t.co\/b1bPUJQNLL<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Igor Bitkov (@Igor_Bitkov) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Igor_Bitkov\/status\/1037327315829571586?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 5, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\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\/09\/05\/el-presidente-de-guatemala-defiende-la-democracia-contra-las-naciones-unidas\/\"\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\u00cc: He booted the Commission Against Impunity, which has jailed innocents while promoting socialism. By\u00a0Mary Anastasia O\u2019Grady Sept. 4, 2018 6:05 p.m. ET &nbsp; Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales announced Friday that the agreement his country has with the United Nations Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala won\u2019t be renewed. The commission\u2014known by its Spanish [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2097,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,137],"tags":[83,79,207,63,43,132,206,208],"class_list":{"0":"post-2095","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-articulos","8":"category-wall-street-jorunal","9":"tag-anastasia-bitkova","10":"tag-cicig","11":"tag-familis-bitkov","12":"tag-igor-bitkov","13":"tag-irina-bitkova","14":"tag-ivan-velasquez","15":"tag-jimmy-morales","16":"tag-onu"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/supportthebitkovs.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2095","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=2095"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/supportthebitkovs.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2095\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/supportthebitkovs.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2097"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/supportthebitkovs.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2095"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/supportthebitkovs.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2095"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/supportthebitkovs.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2095"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}