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Guatemala

UN expert on independence of judges and lawyers to visit Guatemala

GENEVA – The UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, Margaret Satterthwaite, will conduct an official visit to Guatemala from 12 to 23 May 2025.

During her visit, Satterthwaite will assess measures taken by Guatemala to ensure the independence of the judiciary and the impartiality of the prosecution service, and the free exercise of the legal profession.

The Special Rapporteur will address issues related to the structure, organisation and functioning of the judiciary and the prosecution service; the status of the administration of justice; the protection of the actors of the justice system; and the right to a fair trial, including from a gender perspective. She will also examine equal access to justice and legal assistance, seeking to understand how people in Guatemala experience the judicial system.

Satterthwaite will meet Government officials and members of Parliament, judges, prosecutors and lawyers and representatives of civil society, academia, UN agencies, and the diplomatic community.

The expert will hold a press conference on Friday 23 May at 11:00 (local time) at the Hotel Camino Real, Salón Petén Itzá. Access is strictly limited to accredited journalists.

She will present her report to the Human Rights Council in June 2026.

*The expert: Margaret Satterthwaite, Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers.

The Experts are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent of any government or organisation and serve in their individual capacity.

UN Human Rights, Country Page - Guatemala

For further information and media requests, please contact:

  • In Geneva, hrc-sr-independencejl@un.org
  • In Guatemala, Estela Morales (estela.morales@un.org)

For media enquiries regarding other UN independent experts, please contact Dharisha Indraguptha (dharisha.indraguptha@un.org) and Maya Derouaz (maya.derouaz@un.org )

Follow news related to the UN's independent human rights experts on Twitter @UN_SPExperts.