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Guatemala court allows lawmaker probe in journalist murders
The Associated Press
NOVEMBER 07, 2017 9:36 PM
GUATEMALA CITY
Guatemala's Supreme Court lifted the immunity of office Tuesday for a congressman suspected of ordering an attack in which two journalists were killed, clearing the way for a judicial investigation in the case.
Court spokesman Angel Pineda confirmed the ruling and said it was based on evidence presented by an investigative judge. Elected officials in the country generally enjoy protection from criminal prosecution unless it is specifically withdrawn.
Guatemalan prosecutors and a U.N.-sponsored commission investigating corruption in the Central American nation requested the measure in January. They allege Congressman Julio Juarez Ramirez hired hit men to kill Prensa Libre correspondent Danilo Efrain Zapon Lopez, whose reporting had hurt Juarez's plans to run for office.
Zapon was shot to death in March 2015 while walking in a park during daylight just yards (meters) from a police station in the southwestern municipality of Mazatenango.
More:
http://www.islandpacket.com/news/nation-world/world/article183298901.html
Congressman Julio Juarez Ramirez,
big guy, looking at the camera.
