2023-05-12,  Herent

Jury Motivation:

The jury of the 2-yearly Quetzal Prize for Human Rights and Democracy in Guatemala unanimously decided to award this prize to prosecutor Virginia Laparra Rivas in 2023. 

Ms. Virginia Laparra chose as a Guatemalan lawyer to lead the fight against corruption in her country. She successfully dismantled criminal and clandestine structures within the government. However, her work was made impossible when she was arrested on Feb. 22, 2022, and also placed in strict isolation in pre-trial detention for 9 months. On Dec. 16, 2022, she was sentenced to four years in prison. Amnesty International documented in detail the irregularities in the criminal proceedings initiated against her, which extremely violated her right to a fair trial and her freedom. 

The jury found that Virgina Laparra was unjustly criminalized as an investigating judge as part of a strategy to pursue impunity. Several organizations document that international standards to safeguard judges and magistrates from unjustified proceedings and undue influence are no longer guaranteed. Magistrates are being discredited through social media and exposed to administrative and criminal proceedings. This pattern of intimidation has resulted in several magistrates already choosing to stay in exile. 

Ms. Virginia Laparra showed extraordinary courage in going against the grain to bring the foundations of the rule of law back to the forefront. Her situation is specific and symbolic of the difficulties in addressing corruption and legal uncertainty within the state. Because of this, we nominate her for the 2023 Quetzal Prize.