Guatemala judge drops Luis Pacheco terrorism case

A Guatemalan judge on Friday dismissed the case against four Indigenous protest leaders, including energy and mines vice minister Luis Pacheco, who had faced terrorism charges over demonstrations in 2023.

Pacheco was arrested last April over protests calling for then-attorney general Consuelo Porras to resign after she tried to prevent President Bernardo Arevalo from taking office. Judge Mynor Moto said the evidence did not provide serious grounds for a public trial.

Porras was sanctioned by the United States and the European Union over her actions and was not reappointed as attorney general earlier this year. Her successor, Gabriel Garcia Luna, appointed by Arevalo, said when he took office that he would review cases alleged to involve arbitrary charges under Porras, including Pacheco's.