Statement on Guatemala

In response to the prison riots and armed attacks against agents of the National Civil Police perpetrated in Guatemala on January 17, 18 and 19, 2026, which have led the Government to declare a State of Siege, the Steering Committee of the Latin American Council of Social Sciences, CLACSO:

1. He expresses his deep concern about what he warns is a strategy by criminal structures seeking to destabilize the democratic process that Guatemalans, and particularly indigenous peoples, strongly defended in 2023;
2. It expresses solidarity with the victims of these events and their families, with the government and the people of Guatemala, who are fighting for the rule of law, democracy and peace; and
3. He hopes that the processes of changing authorities in the justice system and in the electoral field, which will take place in the first months of the year, will not be affected by these criminal strategies and will result in a real possibility of commitment to the rule of law and the fight against corruption.

CLACSO Steering Committee
January 19, 2026