The Peace Brigades International-Guatemala Project has posted on social media:
“Last Tuesday [August 18], #PBI accompanied @bufetedh_oficial [Human Rights Law Firm] to an interim hearing in the #USAC [University of San Carlos of Guatemala] case against human rights lawyer #RamónCadena and the students Pedro Ros and Christopher Morales. The hearing was adjourned because the judge had another commitment to attend to and has been rescheduled for 8 March 2027.”
Prensa Comunitaria further explains: “On August 19, a hearing was scheduled against a group of criminalized persons: Pedro Ros and Christopher Morales, both students of the Faculty of Agronomy of the University of San Carlos, and the human rights lawyer, Ramón Cadena Rámila, who have been linked to the process since October 2025 for the crimes of aggravated usurpation and depredation of cultural property.”
Photo: PBI-Guatemala accompanies human rights lawyer Ramón Cadena Rámila to court.
The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) has also provided this context:
“Between May 19, 2022 and June 9, 2023, students, teachers, workers, and human rights defenders participated in mobilizations and a peaceful occupation to defend the university autonomy of the University of San Carlos de Guatemala (USAC) in the face of attempts to co-opt university authorities and irregularities in the process of electing its rector.
On November 14, 2023, within the framework of these peaceful protest actions, the Public Prosecutor’s Office issued 31 search warrants and 27 arrest warrants against students, academic staff, human rights defenders and lawyers, for the crimes of “continuous aggravated usurpation”, “continuous depredation of cultural property”, “continuous sedition” and “illicit association”.
These actions undertaken by the Public Prosecutor’s Office against the academic community of the USAC are part of a disproportionate punitive response to a peaceful protest action, such as the occupation of the University of San Carlos de Guatemala.
Mr. Cadena’s inclusion in this process stems exclusively from his role as legal advisor to students and from his solidarity with the academic and student community under repression, which constitutes a legitimate exercise of his profession as a lawyer and his right to defend human rights.”
Additional context
The next presidential election in Guatemala is scheduled to take place in June 2027, less than a year from now.
Earlier this year, the Atlantic Council noted:
“The head of Guatemala’s only public university wields significant influence. The rector shapes USAC’s representation in multiple nominating commissions, but the role’s reach extends far beyond academia. The university holds seats in more than fifty-three state bodies—including important financial institutions.
Under the current rector, Walter Mazariegos, who is under US sanctions, the university has appointed aligned actors to influential bodies while sidelining independent academics and students who have mobilized against corruption and fraud at the institution. On January 19, Mazariegos was sworn in as head of the nominating commission for the TSE [the Supreme Electoral Tribunal].
An independent rector is essential for ensuring that Guatemala’s judiciary is staffed by competent professionals rather than political operatives unwilling to confront organized crime.”
And Luis Javier Medina, a political scientist from the University of San Carlos of Guatemala, has commented: “Amid all this, there is a clear intention on the part of political actors to prevent the reformist faction—whether through the Movimiento Semilla party or another organization—from competing in the upcoming elections. This heightens the importance of the aforementioned processes, as those selected for second-degree offices will have the final say in many decisions concerning the 2027 elections.”
We continue to follow this.
