Vance Center Participates in IACHR’s 195th Sessions and Side Events in Guatemala

Vance Center Associate Executive Director Jaime Chávez Alor with representatives of judges’ associations and other civil society representatives at the 195th Period of Sessions of the IACHR in Guatemala City, March 9, 2026. Photo credit: Asociación Mexicana de Juzgadoras

IACHR Hearings

Civil Society Dialogue 

On March 9, the Commission held a 90-minute session to hear from a wide range of civil society organizations across the region on diverse thematic concerns. This was the first time the IACHR has hosted an open dialogue spanning multiple countries, issues, and themes, and offered an opportunity for a diverse range of speakers to present their concerns before the Commission.  

In his address to the Commission, Chávez Alor expressed deep concern over accelerating efforts to restrict civic space in several Latin American countries. 

He urged the Commission to address the rapidly escalating trend of restrictions on civic space across Latin America. Drawing on observations from the Vance Center’s pro bono work and coordination of the Pro Bono Network of the Americas, he warned that increasingly hostile legal and administrative frameworks are undermining core freedoms of association, expression, and peaceful assembly, as well as human rights defenders’ ability to operate safely. He noted that governments often use fighting corruption as a pretext to impose complex registration rules, burdensome and subjective reporting and approval processes, and punitive sanctions on civil society groups. 

Chávez Alor pointed to concrete examples in countries such as El Salvador, Peru, Paraguay, Ecuador, and Mexico. He emphasized that these individual policies and legislation form part of a broader pattern that threatens the sustainability of organizations that protect human rights across the region. He called on the Commission to prioritize defending civic space, stressing that CSOs’ ability to operate freely is fundamental to safeguarding human rights in the Americas.

Representatives of judges’ associations and other civil society groups at the 195th Period of Sessions of the IACHR in Guatemala City, March 9, 2026. Photo credit: Asociación Mexicana de Juzgadoras

Judicial Independence Hearing

Also on March 9, the IACHR held a hearing on the “Situation of justice operators” to gather input from judges and other regional actors for an upcoming thematic report on guarantees of judicial independence.

The Vance Center’s Institutional Integrity Program has done extensive work on this issue, in coordination with 16 national and 3 regional judicial associations.

Ahead of the hearing, Vance Center Program staff worked with representatives of various judges’ associations to help prepare contributions from associations in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Chile, Ecuador, and Mexico, as well as the Central American Federation of Judges for Democracy (FECAJUD). They all highlighted urgent challenges affecting judges’ job stability, physical safety, and other threats, and called on the Commission to more closely monitor judicial independence and safety of judges in their respective countries and across the region.

The speakers pointed to national and regional issues, including:

Judge Adriana Orocú, President of the Costa Rica Judges Association, warned the Commission of growing public attacks and stigmatization against judges in Costa Rica, particularly those presiding over criminal matters. She observed that these attacks undermine public trust in the judiciary and violate judicial independence, described severe structural weaknesses and highlighted the exclusion of judges and civil society from review of judicial reforms. She urged the Commission to call for an end to public attacks against judicial officers and incorporate the need for well-being policies for justice operators into its reports.

Orocú, who is also President of the Ibero-American regional group of the International Association of Judges, described a profound crisis of judicial independence in Latin America, marked by politically motivated reforms, public attacks by authorities, and disciplinary or criminal procedures used as retaliation for judicial decisions. Citing examples from Bolivia, Peru, Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico, she urged the Commission to establish a permanent dialogue with judicial associations and take action to prevent these regional patterns of intimidation and interference from taking hold.

Judge Dinora Benita Martínez, President of the Guatemalan Association of Judges for Integrity, described a systematic dismantling of Guatemala’s judicial independence beginning in 2022. She detailed coordinated harassment campaigns that use tactics from anonymous online attacks to fabricating criminal complaints to intimidate and remove independent judges, driving many of them into exile. She requested that the Commission urge Guatemala to comply with the in-country report’s recommendations, stop misusing criminal law against judges, ensure the safe return and reparations for exiled judges, and strengthen the Judicial Career Council to restore an independent system.

Judge Javier Mora, Vice President of the Chilean Association of Judges, warned of ongoing, politically driven erosion of judicial independence in Chile. Elements including a constitutional reform granting greater political control over judicial appointments, Executive branch officials publicly discrediting judges, and increased strategic use of civil and criminal actions to pressure judicial decision-making have all contributed to an environment that undermines impartiality and separation of powers. He called on the Commission to monitor the constitutional reform and climate of stigmatization, and urged Chile’s incoming administration to commit fully to international standards of judicial independence.

Judge Haroldo Vázquez, President of FECAJUD, outlined a consistent pattern in Central America of institutional deterioration, targeted harassment, regressive legal reforms, and politically influenced appointments and removals, among other tactics used to realign courts for political control. He asked the Commission for stronger operational tools, including creating a dedicated Inter American Rapporteurship on Judicial Independence, improved criteria for precautionary measures for judges facing criminalization, and direct engagement with independent judicial associations during country visits.

Judge Paola Jarrín, from the Ecuadorian Association of Magistrates and Judges, described a dual crisis in Ecuador: escalating criminal violence including assassinations of judges and prosecutors, and fragile institutions. She highlighted alarming security failures, the collapse of more than half of the country’s judicial units, a deficit of more than 700 judges, and the widespread use of vague disciplinary categories to remove judges. She requested the Commission increase monitoring of Ecuador and urged the State to stop stigmatizing judges, provide real security measures, allocate sufficient resources, and reform disciplinary laws to prevent arbitrary removals.

Vance Center Associate Executive Director Jaime Chávez Alor and representatives of Mexican judges’ associations at the 195th Period of Sessions of the IACHR in Guatemala City, March 9, 2026. Photo credit: Asociación Mexicana de Juzgadoras

Two retired judges from Mexico detailed concerning conditions across all levels of the country’s judiciary, particularly following the recent judicial reform.

Retired Federal Judge Emilia Molina, President of the Mexican Association of Women Judges, warned that judicial guarantees are rapidly deteriorating as structural protections like tenure and safety have weakened. She described widespread career instability, judges forced to relocate to high-risk regions, politicized disciplinary actions, public attacks against judges by State authorities, and arbitrary suspensions and criminal investigations into judges for their rulings. She requested urgent protection measures for judges and their families, and strict oversight of disciplinary systems to ensure compliance with Inter-American standards.

Retired State Judge Pablo Héctor González emphasized that this “structural collapse” has affected career judges as well as newly elected ones. Political pressure and threats have led to resignations within days of appointment, an increase in civil and criminal attacks on judges, and greater delays in justice. He noted that organized crime groups have become involved in judicial selection and warned that political expectations may now directly influence judicial rulings, while authorities’ public attacks on judges could further legitimize aggression. He urged the Commission to prioritize cases involving judicial independence and develop clearer regional standards to help prevent the spread of this model across Latin America.

In their response, the IACHR Commissioners noted the need to strengthen guarantees of judicial independence and raised targeted questions about safeguards for disciplinary procedures and protecting against interference by organized crime. They shared that there is broad consensus on establishing a dedicated Special Rapporteurship but pointed to several ongoing challenges, including securing funding and determining its structure and relationship with the mandate on human rights defenders. The Commissioners highlighted the Commission’s ongoing monitoring efforts and reaffirmed their commitment to identifying new and effective ways to protect judicial independence.

Watch the hearing:

The Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Breaking Point for Guatemala 

On March 10, Chávez Alor participated in a public forum organized by the multisectoral platform Fundamental Dilemmas. He joined the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, Professor Margaret Satterthwaite and Juan Pappier, Americas deputy director at Human Rights Watch, for a discussion moderated by Gabriel Reyes, regional program officer for Central America at the National Democratic Institute.  

The conversation covered the important upcoming appointment of Guatemala’s new Attorney General and the potential consequences for the country if another flawed candidate takes over the embattled Public Prosecutor’s Office. 

Read our 2024 report, Above the Law: The Public Prosecutor’s Office in Guatemala

Panelists discussed the need to translate international standards for appointing high-level justice officials into concrete safeguards for Guatemala’s current selection process. Chávez Alor emphasized that the Public Prosecutor’s Office is supposed to act as a guardian of the justice system rather than a political tool. He detailed the office’s use of criminal proceedings to target independent judges, prosecutors, human rights defenders, and journalists and underscored the essential role of international monitoring to ensure an impartial, independent selection process. 

Professor Satterthwaite highlighted key findings from her mandate’s official visit to Guatemala in 2025 and stressed the importance of selecting an Attorney General who meets international standards for technical qualifications and integrity.  

Pappier reinforced the need for sustained international pressure to prevent falling into old patterns of appointing candidates with serious credibility issues.  

Adriana García, expert adviser at NYU Law’s nonpartisan Rule of Law Lab, concluded the discussion by noting the essential role for law schools and universities in helping ensure transparency and accountability in the process to select the next Attorney General. 

UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, Professor Margaret Satterthwaite, and the Vance Center’s Jaime Chávez Alor at the Fundamental Dilemmas forum, March 10, 2026. Photo credit: Dilemas de Fondo

Panelists and moderator (L-R): Jaime Chávez Alor, UNSR Satterthwaite, Juan Pappier, and Gabriel Reyes, at the Fundamental Dilemmas forum, March 10, 2026. Photo credit: Dilemas de Fondo

Meeting between the IACHR and José Rubén Zamora 

The Vance Center also facilitated a meeting between several IACHR Commissioners and the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression and Guatemalan journalist José Rubén Zamora, who is currently under house arrest. The meeting enabled the Commission to follow up on the status of Zamora’s precautionary measures and offered a chance for Zamora to personally brief the Commission on the criminal cases against him and the ongoing risks he faces.  

The Vance Center has represented Zamora in proceedings before regional and international human rights bodies, including the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, since fall 2022. We have joined numerous other organizations in publicly condemning flaws and delays in the trial proceedings through public statements, amicus brief filings, and other advocacy efforts. 

Read more about our work on this case. 

Documentary “Cuando perdimos el juicio: Crónica de la reforma judicial en México”

On March 10, Vance Center staff attended a private screening of the documentary “Cuando perdimos el juicio: Crónica de la reforma judicial en México.” The film, which was produced by the Rule of Law Lab at NYU Law, the Mexican organization Juicio Justo, and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, examines Mexico’s recent sweeping judicial reform that resulted in the removal of more than 7,000 judges and popular elections to fill those seats. The documentary highlights the profound implications of this model for judicial independence and democratic checks and balances; and warns of the risks from similar reforms elsewhere in the region.

Following the screening, Úrsula Indacochea, Director of the Judicial Independence Program at the Due Process of Law Foundation (DPLF), moderated a discussion with UN Special Rapporteur Satterthwaite, the Vance Center’s Jaime Chávez Alor, and IACHR Commissioner and Vice President Andrea Pochak. The conversation focused on the regional consequences of weakening the rule of law and the urgent need to safeguard judicial independence against political pressure.

The documentary will be released online soon.

L-R: Úrsula Indacochea, Jaime Chávez Alor, IACHR Commissioner and Vice President Andrea Pochak, and UNSR Prof. Margaret Satterthwaite at the screening of the documentary “Cuando perdimos el juicio: Crónica de la reforma judicial en México,” in Guatemala City, March 10, 2026. Photo credit: Asociación Mexicana de Juzgadoras