Guatemala City: United Nations human rights experts have called for an independent investigation into Guatemala’s Attorney General, Maria Consuelo Porras, over alleged involvement in illegal international adoptions of Indigenous children during the country’s civil war.
In a statement released Monday from Geneva, the UN experts said they had received information linking Porras to the forced disappearance and illegal adoption of at least 80 Indigenous children between 1968 and 1996, a period marked by widespread violence and human rights abuses in Guatemala.
According to the statement, the children were allegedly transferred for adoption after being taken to the Elisa Martinez Temporary Home, an institution where Porras served as director and was listed as the children’s legal guardian from January 21 to August 30, 1982.
The UN experts urged authorities to launch an independent and impartial investigation into the allegations, noting that public officials may have played a role in facilitating the adoptions. They also criticized Porras’s recent candidacy for Guatemala’s Constitutional Court, warning those responsible for selecting magistrates to exercise caution given the seriousness of the claims.
The statement was released the same day Porras failed in her bid to secure a seat on the Constitutional Court, the country’s highest judicial body. Her current term as attorney general is set to end in May.
The Guatemalan Public Prosecutor’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from AFP regarding the allegations.
Porras, 72, has previously been sanctioned by both the United States and the European Union on corruption-related grounds. She has also been a controversial figure in Guatemalan politics, having repeatedly challenged the legitimacy of President Bernardo Arévalo and initiating investigations into his Semilla party ahead of his inauguration in January 2024.
The attorney general has faced accusations from the government and human rights organizations of shielding criminal networks, allegations she has consistently denied.
The UN experts emphasized that accountability for past human rights violations remains critical, particularly in cases involving the forced disappearance of Indigenous children during Guatemala’s decades-long civil conflict.