106. There is an immediate need to have letters of support sent by Canadian lawyers and judges in support of security for Judges in Guatemala, especially in light of the recent reports of threats against the judges involved in rendering a verdict in the Gerardi case. The Spanish speaking committee of LRWC can spearhead such a campaign.

107. On a longer-term basis, Judge Pérez expressed an interest in organising a judicial exchange where judges from Guatemala could exchange information and knowledge with judges from Canada. The LRWC may be able to use its contacts to help to facilitate such an exchange. Potential topics for such an exchange could include such things as judicial independence, security, delivering justice in remote locales, and working in the adversarial model.

108. I plan to obtain Judge Pérez’s article entitled “What it is to be a judge in Guatemala” and have excerpts translated for distribution here.

111. CALDH has requested that as many Canadian legal institutions and professionals as possible petition the Guatemalan government to ask for due process in the effort to bring Rios Montt to trial for genocide. CALDH can provide LRWC with further information about the case. Workers at CALDH and other lawyers involved in the Rios Montt case have also received death threats and have been subject to widespread intimidation.

112. Letters or pronouncements condemning these threats when they occur would certainly be an appropriate form of support for LRWC.