A Guatemalan court is due to hold a hearing on 19 August 2026 in the case of Ramón Cadena Rámila, a 70-year-old lawyer prosecuted over his role advising students at the University of San Carlos. Two days beforehand, the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders — a joint programme of the World Organisation Against Torture and the International Federation for Human Rights — published an open letter urging Guatemalan authorities to end the proceedings against him.
Cadena has spent decades litigating on indigenous rights, land claims and environmental justice. The letter argues that his prosecution follows a documented pattern in which criminal law is used against lawyers, prosecutors and activists working on corruption and human rights cases in Guatemala.
How a campus protest became a criminal file
Between 19 May 2022 and 9 June 2023, students, teaching staff, workers and human rights defenders held demonstrations and a peaceful occupation at the University of San Carlos, protesting irregularities in the election of its rector. On 14 November 2023, the public prosecutor’s office issued 31 search warrants and 27 arrest warrants against students, academics, defenders and lawyers, on charges that included aggravated usurpation, damage to cultural property, sedition and unlawful association.
Cadena’s home was raided two days later and he was charged on the same counts. According to the letter, his only connection to the case is that he acted as legal counsel to the students. The sedition and unlawful association charges have since been dismissed.
Nearly three years under an arrest warrant
The warrant issued in November 2023 remained in force for roughly two years and eleven months before it was executed on 10 November 2025. Cadena presented himself voluntarily to the Tenth Criminal Court of First Instance, spent 11 days in pre-trial detention and was released on 21 November 2025 under a substitute measure.
Only two hearings have taken place since the file was opened. On 11 May 2026, the hearing marking the intermediate stage of the proceedings was suspended because the prosecution failed to appear, and was pushed to 19 August. The letter says the delays have damaged Cadena’s health, work and financial stability, and that investigative steps proposed by his defence have been rejected.
What the letter asks for
The signatories ask prosecutors to seek dismissal of the case against Cadena and the students charged alongside him for lack of sufficient evidence; to hold the August hearing without further postponement; to respect fair trial guarantees under Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Guatemala is a party; and to allow national and international observers to follow the proceedings.
Cadena has held precautionary measures granted by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights since 2016, issued after an intimidatory raid linked to his legal work. His case has also drawn statements from UN experts on human rights defenders and on the independence of judges and lawyers.
This report was produced by the HuMedia newsroom.
