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Judiciary Reform – 1998

All 50 constitutional amendments submitted by the Government were approved by the Congress in October 1998. The constitution mandated that they then be submitted to the people for a referendum, scheduled for May 1999.¹

The Public Prosecutor’s Office restructured to improve capacity and access to justice. A Coordinating Authority for the Modernization of the Justice Sector was created to bring together the Ministry of the Interior, the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the judiciary to work for comprehensive reform.²

The judiciary began improving access to justice by expanding its geographic presence and increasing the number of linguistic interpreters.³

1. “United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala: Report of the Secretary-General,” United Nations General Assembly (A/54/526), November 11, 1999.
2. “Eighth Report on Human Rights of the United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala,” United Nations General Assembly (A/52/946), June 15, 1998.
3. “Ninth Report on Human Rights of the United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala,” United Nations General Assembly (A/53/853), March 10, 1999.