Security & Strategic Review - August 2017 (ISSN 1741-4202)

GUATEMALA | Lynchings. Last month the local human rights organisation Grupo de Apoyo Mutuo (GAM) released a report showing that at least 323 people have died due to lynchings in 1,490 reported cases between 2008 and May 2017. The report cites GAM director Mario Polanco as arguing that the organisation’s findings highlight the inefficiency of the Guatemalan authorities in preventing lynchings. He states that: “The lynchings in Guatemala represent a culture of violence, pain and death. This phenomenon has so far not successfully been controlled by the authorities, meaning the violence increases on a daily basis…which instead of resolving a problem, intensifies the conflict.” According to the report, the legacy of Guatemala’s civil war (1960-1996) is “a country with a culture of violence without justice”, which is reflected in the high rate of lynchings. It explains that a motive behind the killings is civilians’ ‘despair’ at the State’s inaction in bringing criminals to justice.

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