The European Union (EU) is deeply concerned by the detention on 23 April 2025 of two former leaders of the indigenous authority “48 Cantones de Totonicapán”, including Vice-Minister Luis Pacheco, as well as the issuance of additional arrest warrants. The EU has previously expressed its deep concern about the instrumentalisation of the justice system and the misuse of legal and procedural measures targeting elected officials, human rights defenders, journalists, indigenous leaders and judicial operators.

The EU calls on the Guatemalan judiciary and Public Prosecutor's Office to uphold the rule of law and the right to peaceful assembly, to respect due process and to ensure the safety and integrity of those detained.

In this context, the EU has already imposed targeted restrictive measures against five individuals responsible for actions that undermine democracy, the rule of law and the peaceful transfer of power in Guatemala. The EU continues to closely monitor any developments that threaten democratic principles and the rule of law.