The Death Penalty: the case for abolition in Guatemala

Many people in Guatemala have been reflecting on the value of life this week, following the incident on 4 October in Totonicapán (western Guatemala) when eight protestors were killed following clashes with security forces. It’s a theme that also resonated on 10 October, World Day against the Death Penalty.

The death penalty is an emotive issue in Guatemala. Having put on our facebook page a statement to mark the Day by UK Minister Baroness Warsi, a comment was posted that questioned the UK’s hope that Guatemala will abolish the death penalty. The truth is that this isn’t just about Guatemala: the UK supports its global abolition.

The comment went on to challenge the case for abolition in Guatemala, and to ask what the UK is doing in Guatemala to support the government’s efforts to tackle insecurity.

First, it’s important to make clear that the UK is opposed to the use of the death penalty in all circumstances as a matter of principle. We believe that the use of the death penalty: undermines human dignity; there is no conclusive evidence of its deterrent value; and any miscarriage of justice leading to its imposition is irreversible and irreparable. There is a worldwide trend towards establishing a moratorium on the death penalty. In 2011, only 21 countries in the world carried out executions, a figure which has fallen by more than a third over the last decade. Guatemala has not executed anyone since 2000, and no longer has any prisoners on death row.

But we understand the frustrations that Guatemalans feel about the high murder rates and impunity. We hear a lot that people believe that it is an effective deterrent for crimes like murder. However, there is no convincing evidence that the death penalty deters against homicide. Many states with the worst homicide rates retain the death penalty, such as Uganda, Lesotho, Jamaica and Trinidad. The US State of Louisiana has led the US murder rate statistics for over 20 years.

So what are we doing to support the Guatemalan government tackle insecurity?

This week we hosted a visit by the UK government’s Stabilisation Unit, who came here to find out more about Guatemala’s security needs to help inform our decisions on what support we can provide, not only to Guatemala but thinking regionally too. We’ve already started some support, earlier this year two senior Guatemalan police officers attended leadership training at the UK’s international police academy, Bramshill. More Guatemalan police will benefit from UK training in November.

We are also continuing our support to CICIG, the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala, a UN mandated body tasked with working with the Guatemalan government to tackle organised crime. And we are working with a wide range of partners across Government, the Private Sector and Civil Society to support a youth-led programme, Break the Cycle (Rompe el Ciclo – in Spanish) that aims to bring about a generational change of attitude that rejects violence in the home.

Before I sign off, a final word about the shooting in Totonicapán. Our condolences our with the family and friends of those who lost their lives at this difficult time. I attended a briefing on 8 October with President Perez Molina at which he gave an initial account of what had happened, but an official investigation is ongoing. We hope that this is transparent and expedient for all concerned.