The accession to office in 1993 of President de Leon, a former Human Rights Procurator, gave rise to hopes both in Guatemala and abroad that human rights in that country would improve. However, President de Leon has failed to put into practice the experience he gained as Human Rights Procurator and violations continue to reported. This paper focuses on a number of the extrajudicial executions which have occurred since President de Leon came to office. The government’s failure aggressively to pursue inquiries into these and other reported violations, combined with increasing reports of death threats and harassment, suggest that the government’s performance in the area of human rights protection continues to warrant close monitoring.
