(Reuters) – The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights asked Guatemala to provide more protections for President-elect Bernardo Arevalo and Vice President-elect Karin Herrera, it said yesterday, citing “serious and urgent” risks to their wellbeing.
In a statement, the commission said the threats include two plots against the politicians’ lives.
Anti-corruption candidate Arevalo won Guatemala’s presidential runoff on Sunday by a landslide after an effort to disqualify his party and sideline his candidacy. Before the runoff, Arevalo said he expected attempts to prevent him from taking office should he win.
The IACHR, an autonomous organ of the Washington-based Organization of American States, said it formally requested the Guatemalan government to take precautionary measures to protect the lives of Arevalo and Herrera.
The commission cited two plans against Arevalo and Herrera’s lives, including one that had been alerted by Guatemalan prosecutors, without giving further details.
It also asked the government to report on actions it has taken to investigate the threats.
The Guatemalan government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a response to the IACHR, Guatemalan authorities said Arevalo and Herrera have a “broad protection scheme” that the state has reinforced, the IACHR’s statement said.
