GUATEMALA CITY — The death toll from suspected gang attacks on Guatemalan police rose to 10 on Monday, officials said, as heavier security appeared in the streets and Congress approved President Bernardo Arévalo’s emergency declaration.
The violence started Saturday, when inmates seized control of three prisons in apparently coordinated riots and took 43 guards hostage. Shortly after police liberated one of the prisons Sunday morning, suspected gang members attacked police across Guatemala City, according to the account provided by authorities.
Late Monday, officials said a tenth police officer died following the attacks. Police honored the fallen officers in a ceremony Monday at Guatemala’s Interior Ministry, where flag-draped coffins were displayed.
Arévalo, speaking during the ceremony, said: “Today it pains me to give each one of the families this flag, symbol of the nation that will not forget the sacrifice and commitment of their police fallen in the fulfillment of their duty.”
Outside the Interior Ministry, José Antonio Revolorio, 72, father of officer José Efraín Revolorio Barrera, 25, said he hoped the people behind his son’s death would be held accountable. Revolorio told reporters, “I hope that the criminals who did this to my son will one day pay for it, that the law will go after them. And that this doesn’t end here,” adding that his son “was an honest man, competent at his work.”
The government gazette published Monday Arévalo’s declaration of a 30-day state of emergency, describing “coordinated actions by self-named maras or gangs against state security forces, including armed attacks against civilian authorities.” The emergency, which had already been in effect since Sunday, was approved by Congress on Monday night with minor changes.
Congress voted 149 in favor and 1 against, with 10 absent or on approved leave of absence, according to the reporting. The declaration limits “freedom of action and demonstrations,” and it allows police to arrest people without a judicial order when they are suspected gang members.
The emergency also gives security forces authority to prohibit the movement of vehicles in certain places or subject them to searches. In the capital on Monday, traffic appeared lighter than usual, and people described adjusting their routines amid concerns about movement disruptions.
“One day this situation is a shame,” radio technician Óscar López said, adding that it “affects people psychologically: they don’t want to go out.” López also said he agreed with Arévalo’s emergency order even as he argued it did not stop the violence.
Other residents described fear about getting to appointments and about how transit could be affected. Ileana Melgar said she was afraid of missing her appointment to renew her identification and that she called a friend to go with her because “You don’t know if they will also stop (public) transportation and we can’t get back home.”
The U.S. Embassy in Guatemala told U.S. government personnel to shelter in place on Sunday, then later lifted that guidance and advised a high level of caution when traveling, the AP reported. In a statement Monday, the embassy condemned the police attacks, saying: “These terrorists, as well as those who cooperate with them or are linked to them, have no place in our hemisphere,” and it reaffirmed “our support for Guatemala’s security forces to curb the violence.”
As part of the broader security response, schools were suspended nationwide Monday as a safety precaution. The AP said Congress in October reformed laws to declare Barrio 18 and Mara Salvatrucha gang members terrorists and lengthened prison sentences for gang members who commit crimes. The United States government declared those gangs foreign terrorist organizations last year.
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