Guatemalan Supreme Court Justice César Barrientos in Conversation

Guatemala’s justice system faces immense challenges—extraordinarily high levels of impunity, entrenched parallel power structures, and limited resources. But Supreme Court Justice César Barrientos has made enormous strides.

Presiding over the Criminal Chamber of the Guatemalan Supreme Court since 2009, Justice Barrientos has promoted the creation and strengthening of “high-risk” tribunals that hear cases relating to organized crime, human trafficking, money laundering, and human rights violations. This spring, one of these high-risk tribunals heard the historic genocide trial of Efrain Rios Montt, the first genocide trial of a former head of state in a national court.

In a recent discussion, Justice Barrientos engaged with Stephen Rapp, U.S. State Department Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues, on the advances in, and threats to, judicial independence in Guatemala. Ambassador Rapp heads the Office of War Crimes Issues and has served as a prosecutor for international tribunals concerning Sierra Leone and Rwanda.