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PRESS RELEASE Nº
17/01 The
IACHR expresses concern for the safety of the investigator The Inter-American Commission on Human
Rights (IACHR) has learned that on Sunday, July 22, Leopoldo Zeissig,
special investigator in the office of the public prosecutor, who
investigated and secured the conviction of those responsible for the
murder of Monsignor Juan José Gerardi, irrevocably resigned from his
post and left Guatemala with his family in the face of grave death
threats. In
response to these developments, the IACHR wishes to express its profound
concern for the safety of judicial staff and witnesses who have
participated in the criminal proceedings stemming from the extrajudicial
execution of Bishop Juan José Gerardi, and to reaffirm that the state
must take the necessary measures to identify and prosecute those
responsible. The
IACHR is especially worried by this new development, which has arisen in
a context of harassment, threats, attacks, and murder directed at human
rights defenders, judges, investigators, witnesses, and others committed
to fighting impunity. The IACHR hopes that the state will take the
necessary measures to guarantee their personal safety and fully abide by
its international obligations in this area. Washington, D.C., July 31, 2001 |