UN mission calls on Guatemala to guarantee people’s security after violent rally

The United Nations mission in Guatemala has issued an urgent call to the Government to “guarantee the security of the population within the strict framework of respect for human rights” after violence erupted at a political rally yesterday.

“These acts of violence…led to death, aggression and intimidation which could and should have been prevented,” the UN Verification Mission in Guatemala (MINUGUA) said in a statement Thursday. The operations was established in 1994 after decades of civil war in the Central American country.

“These acts go way beyond all the limits of the exercise of democracy and the right of citizens to demonstrate, becoming a dangerous and mortal threat to the security of the citizenry.

“MINUGUA urgently calls on the leaders of the official party to intercede with its sympathizers to desist from any violent act,” the statement added.