Freedom of Expression

Press Release R182/21

Office of the Special Rapporteur condemns the murder of activist and communicator Frank Stalyn Ramazzini and urges the State of Guatemala to completely and impartially investigate the facts

July 16, 2021

Washington D.C. - The Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) condemns the murder of activist and communicator Frank Stalyn Ramazzini Véliz on July 9 in Guatemala, and urges the State to immediately, fully, effectively, and impartially investigate this crime, clarify its motives, and judicially determine the relationship it may have to his professional activity.

According to available information, on July 9, 31-year-old Frank Stalyn Ramazzini was the victim of an armed attack at a nightclub in Guatemala City, in which three other people also died. In addition to his work as a defender of the labor rights of agents of the National Civil Police, he periodically investigated and published information, through a social media page, criticizing the government and of high public interest, especially on alleged cases of corruption in the penitentiary system. On July 4, 2021, he had been appointed president of the Audit Association for Justice and Human Rights.

The Public Prosecutor's Office of Guatemala indicated that its Office of the Prosecutor for Crimes against Life and the Integrity of Persons processed the scene in which Frank Stalyn Ramazzini Véliz and three other people lost their lives and reported that investigations were being carried out to clarify the facts.

According to the information received, Frank Stalyn Ramazzini would have been the victim of two other attacks in previous years. In 2018, the Guatemalan Human Rights Ombudsman demanded that the Ministry of the Interior guarantee his life, after being the object of an armed attack in which he was wounded by gunshots.

The murder of Frank Stalyn Ramazzini occurs in a setting with adversities for the exercise of the right to freedom of expression in Guatemala. In its last annual report, the Office of the Special Rapporteur registered an increase in attacks, acts of harassment, stigmatizing statements, and criminalization against communicators. Likewise, on previous occasions, this Office has drawn attention to the high levels of impunity that exist with respect to crimes against freedom of expression in the country.

The Office of the Special Rapporteur recalls that, in accordance with Principle 9 of the IACHR Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression, "the murder, kidnapping, intimidation of, and/or threats to social communicators, as well as the material destruction of communications media violate the fundamental rights of individuals and strongly restrict freedom of expression. It is the duty of the state to prevent and investigate such occurrences, to punish their perpetrators, and to ensure that victims receive due compensation".

In this context, the SRFOE reiterates that it is the duty of the States to ensure that crimes against freedom of expression are subject to complete, effective, and impartial judicial investigations, considering journalism as one of the lines of investigation. As has been pointed out by the IACHR and its Office of the Special Rapporteur, the lack of sanctions against those who were materially and intellectually responsible for the murders and attacks related to journalistic activity and freedom of expression sends a permissive message of violence, fostering the possibility of new crimes and generating an effect of self-censorship.

The adoption of adequate prevention and protection mechanisms to avoid violence against communicators is crucial. The State has informed the Office of the Special Rapporteur on various protection measures provided in accordance with the risk analysis, carried out through the Protection of Persons and Security Division of the National Civil Police of the Ministry of the Interior. Although this Office welcomes and considers positive this institutional deployment for the prevention and protection of crimes related to freedom of expression in Guatemala, it calls on the State to strengthen these mechanisms and redouble its efforts in this matter in order to avoid the recurrence of cases such as this.

The Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression is an office created by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to encourage the hemispheric defense of the right to freedom of thought and expression, considering its fundamental role in the consolidation and development of the democratic system.

R182/21