The president of the Guatemalan Congress, Shirley Rivera of the ruling party, said this Tuesday that the United States had revoked his visa, similar to what was announced last week against two former ministers of President Alejandro Giamatte.
“They notified me on October 5 that they revoked my visa,” a representative of the official VAMOS party (right) told reporters.
“They did it through an email, in which they said I was no longer eligible for a visa based on their criteria,” added the 52-year-old lawmaker, who did not delve into Washington’s reason for being sanctioned.
Last Tuesday, the US State Department revoked the visas of a dozen Guatemalan officials and citizens for contributing to the “undermining of democracy” in the Central American country.
Those admitted include former Interior Minister Gendri Reyes, former Energy and Mining Minister Alberto Pimentel and Deputy Minister for Sustainable Development Óscar Rafael Pérez Ramírez.
The visas were revoked amid protests in Guatemala after raids on electoral tribunals and judicial actions to suspend the party of the elected president, the Social Democratic Opposition, Bernardo Arevalo.
Arévalo, 65, assesses that the actions of Attorney General Consuelo Porras, prosecutor Rafael Curruchiche and judge Fredy Orellana are part of an “ongoing conspiracy” to prevent him from taking power in January due to elite fears. Their promise is to fight corruption.
The three officials are considered “corrupt” characters by Washington and have been banned from entering the US since 2021. AFP
