Killing of Rios Montt’s lawyer elevates political tension in Guatemala

Jose Carlos Movil

Guatemala City, Jun 5 (EFE).- The murder of Francisco Palomo Tejeda, attorney for Guatemalan dictator Efrain Rios Montt and former president Alfonso Portillo, has elevated political tension in the country, three months before it goes to polls.

The 63-year-old, who was shot in a busy street on Wednesday in the Guatemalan capital, was representing Rios Montt (1982-1983)in a genocide trial.

He had also earlier defended Portillo (2000-2004) on corruption charges.

The killing was criticised in political circles.

“The death of Francisco Palomo, Rios Montt’s lawyer, goes to show that in this Guatemala no one is safe,” indigenous leader Andrea Ixchiu wrote on Twitter.

Guatemalan Interior Minister Eunice Mendizabal visited the scene of the crime and announced an inquiry by an elite group of the National Police.

Vice-Interior Minister Elmer Sosa told Efe on Thursday they were not ruling out the possibility of a political motive behind the killing.

A woman, who was in a car 20 meters behind the lawyer’s automobile, had told Efe the alleged killers were riding a motorcycle.

The high profile murder has roiled the political and social atmosphere in the country already reeling under the revelation of two state corruption scandals and killing of three journalists in recent months.

Since April 25, protests have been held every Saturday against President Perez Molina, who came to power promising an “iron hand” against crime.

The protests have led to the resignation of Vice-President Roxana Baldetti and former Interior Minister Mauricio Lopez Bonilla in May.

“This killing reflects the government’s inability to protect its citizens’ lives,” said College of Lawyers and Notaries of Guatemala Vice-President Jordan Rodas Andrade.

The country, described by international organizations as one of the five most violent countries in the world, will go to the polls on Sep. 6 to choose a successor to Perez Molina. EFE

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Category: Daily Witness, National