Guatemala City, August 5, 2026. Luis Pacheco and Héctor Chaclán (both of Maya K'iche' origin), former president and former treasurer of the 48 Cantones of Totonicapán, regained their freedom this Wednesday after being held since April 25, 2025 in the Mariscal Zavala prison. A judge granted them alternative measures to pretrial detention, allowing them to face the rest of the criminal proceedings outside of prison.
Both leaders had been prosecuted for illicit association, terrorism, and obstruction of justice, stemming from their leadership role in the 2023 protests in defense of that year's election results, when the Public Prosecutor's Office attempted to annul them over fraud allegations against the winning party.
The case against Pacheco and Chaclán was driven by the Public Prosecutor's Office, then headed by former Attorney General Consuelo Porras, together with the Special Prosecutor's Office Against Impunity, previously led by Rafael Curruchiche. Both former officials have faced immigration restrictions in dozens of countries over alleged ties to corruption; in Porras's case, entry bans or sanctions extend to more than 44 countries.
The Fundación Contra el Terrorismo, an organization known for its ties to figures linked to corruption cases, also joined the proceedings as a plaintiff. The case moved through several judges and courts before reaching Judge Mynor Moto, who ultimately ruled in favor of releasing the two indigenous leaders. The ruling allows them to continue the criminal process outside of prison, with a hearing still pending to determine whether they will be sent to trial.
Human rights organizations had questioned the case from multiple angles. Impunity Watch highlighted the role of the 48 Cantones authorities as a leadership that resonated across regional and social lines during the 2023 mobilizations. Meanwhile, Amnesty International found the case to lack merit and warned of irregularities and delays that undermined the defendants' right to a fair trial.
Upon leaving prison, Pacheco thanked the Indigenous authorities of Totonicapán and the fourteen communities that supported the case throughout the process. "Good always takes time to arrive, it takes time, but it arrives," he said, adding that the release marks a victory shared by the peoples of Guatemala. Chaclán, for his part, said he felt that justice had finally been served.
The 48 Cantones is an Indigenous ancestral authority of the Maya K'iche' people in Totonicapán, made up of community governments whose representatives are elected annually in assembly. Its functions include defending communal lands, protecting natural resources, preserving K'iche' identity and language, and fighting corruption and impunity in the country.
Cover photo: Radio La Niña
