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Why the U.S. Should Aid Guatemala's Anti-Corruption Push

By Eric A. Witte

Political decisions and a backlash against reform are threatening Guatemala’s recent progress on corruption.

A court in Guatamala opened proceedings on March 1 against five retired senior military officers charged with crimes against humanity committed three decades ago under the country’s former military regime. The five are accused of the illegal detention, torture and rape of a young student activist, Emma Molina Theissen, in 1981, and the forced disappearance of her 14-year-old brother.

The Molina Theissen family has awaited justice for decades. But the trial would likely not be happening at all without the transformation of Guatemala’s justice system that has taken place over the past...

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