John OtisJuly 3, 2012 06:00

GUATEMALA CITY — Without minimum wage, insurance, or retirement plans, many of Guatemala's workers say the economy is using them up and spitting them out.

Efrain Rios Montt: Guatemala dictator faces second genocide trial

Jill LangloisMay 22, 2012 19:51

In 1982, a group of about 20 soldiers blindfolded, strangled, shot and bludgeoned villagers — including a newborn child — to death with a sledgehammer and dumped them in a well.

Guatemala sentences ex-soldier to 6,060 years

Mike McDonaldMarch 16, 2012 06:00

GUATEMALA CITY — The Guatemalan court sentenced former elite forces soldier Pedro Pimentel to 6,060 years in prison this week for participating in the Las Dos Erres massacre, one of the worst of the country’s decades-long civil war. Judges gave him 30 years for each of the 201 murders and an additional 30 for crimes against humanity.

Drug war in Central America

Ashley KimMarch 22, 2012 10:08

Guatemalan President Otto Perez has re-invigorated the drug debate by suggesting the trade should be legalized in Central America.

Legalization gains support in Central America (PHOTOS)

Mike McDonaldMarch 2, 2012 07:17

GUATEMALA CITY — Guatemalan President Otto Perez has re-invigorated the drug debate by suggesting the trade should be legalized in Central America.

Guatemala prepares to fight Mexico's Zetas cartel

Simeon TegelJanuary 17, 2012 17:38

LIMA — How will Guatemala fight its drug war?

Peace Corps scales back its efforts in Central America

Lynn LaDecember 23, 2011 15:02

Due to increased drug-related violence, the Peace Corps will withdraw its volunteers in Honduras and scale back its efforts in Guatemala and El Salvador.

Sarah ChildressDecember 8, 2011 11:30

US syphilis experiment in Guatemala created more victims

A Guatemala investigation found more victims than before, and a handful of survivors

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Guatemala President Alvaro Colom said he wants the six known survivors to be compensated. (JOHAN ORDONEZ/AFP/Getty Images)

A US syphilis experiment in Guatemala, in which prisoners, mental patients and others were deliberately infected with the disease, affected more victims than previously thought.

Sarah ChildressNovember 4, 2011 11:22

Can the "Iron Fist" end the drug war?

A former general is set to win Guatemala's runoff election on Sunday

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Perez stumps for votes. (ORLANDO SIERRA/AFP/Getty Images)

Former General Otto Perez Molina is expected to win Guatemala’s presidential runoff on Sunday on a platform that promises a tough stance on drug cartels.

The drug war has come to Guatemala, heightening insecurity and violence as powerful Mexican cartels vie for control of the country’s drug-smuggling routes. The vast majority of murders go unsolved in the country, and people want a return to stability.

Sarah ChildressSeptember 12, 2011 12:14

Guatemala: runoff for "Iron Fist"

Drug-transit hub Guatemala will have a Nov. election runoff

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Voters wait to cast their ballots amid tight security in this violence-prone state. (Orlando Sierra/AFP/Getty Images)

It looks like a runoff for Guatemala.

Presidential elections were held Sunday in Guatemala after a campaign in which candidates vowed to protect their citizens from the high rate of gang and drug violence.

Otto Perez Molina, a retired army general, leads in the polls with 37 percent. To win outright, he would have had to win a majority of the votes.
The runoff will be held Nov. 6. He’ll face Manuel Baldizon, who won 23 percent of the vote. (There is no incumbent — Guatemalan law allows presidents to serve a single, four-year term.)