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5d ago

Guatemalan Indigenous Leader Arrested on Terrorism Charges in Escalating Political Crisis

Luis Pacheco, a key ally of President Arévalo and former protest leader, faces accusations denounced as politically motivated by the administration.

FILE - Luis Pacheco, President of the K'iche' Indigenous organization "48 Cantones de Totonicapan," poses for photos with Mayors, who are members of the organization, outside the Attorney General's headquarters in Guatemala City, Oct. 11, 2023. The "48 Cantones de Totonicapán" is an Indigenous organization that has been leading the national protests asking for the resignation of Guatemala's Attorney General Consuelo Porras for her attempts to invalidate the recent presidential election. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo, File)
Guatemalan Energy and Mines Vice Minister Luis Pacheco talks by telephone at a courthouse following his arrest

Overview

  • Luis Pacheco, deputy minister in Guatemala’s Energy and Mines Ministry, was arrested on April 23, 2025, on charges of terrorism and illicit association in a sealed case.
  • Pacheco previously led nationwide Indigenous protests in 2023, advocating for the protection of election results and the resignation of Attorney General Consuelo Porras.
  • President Bernardo Arévalo condemned the arrest as unfounded and an attack on democratic principles, intensifying tensions between his administration and judicial authorities.
  • The Attorney General’s Office has continued investigations into Arévalo’s Movimiento Semilla party, which international observers have criticized as undermining democratic norms.
  • Attorney General Porras, sanctioned by the U.S. for obstructing anti-corruption efforts, has resisted calls to step down despite ongoing domestic and international scrutiny.