On Wednesday the Organization of American States (OAS) gave its support to the Guatemalan government as approximately 1,000 protested outside the National Palace in response to the murder of a prominent lawyer. Rodrigo Rosenberg was killed on Sunday by gunmen, leaving behind a videotape stating that the President of Guatemala, Álvaro Colom, was to blame for his death.
The Guatemalan government denied having any link to the murder, and handed the case over to the United Nations to investigate the killing. It is estimated that up to 98 percent of criminal investigations in Guatemala go unsolved. As protests increase countrywide, the United Nations International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) will begin an investigation into the killing in hopes of stabilizing the political unrest. The administration blamed criminal organizations for the murder, stating that the action was retaliation for recent measures taken by the government to reduce the influence of organized crime in the country.
