IACHR publishes friendly settlement agreement concerning Guatemala

December 19, 2025

Washington, DC—The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has decided to approve the friendly settlement agreement concerning Petition 1198-23—Augusto Jordán Rodas Andrade, Guatemala—and to publish approval report 270/25.

This case concerns the State’s international responsibility for restricting Rodas’ political rights, which prevented him from being a candidate to the position of Vice President of Guatemala in the 2023 election. Those restrictions were imposed by administrative authorities based on allegations that Rodas had committed crimes, but he was never notified of those allegations, which were never investigated and did not lead to a conviction. The remedies Rodas sought to counter those restrictions were dismissed by Guatemala’s judicial authorities.

However, on June 26, 2025, the parties signed a friendly settlement agreement where the State acknowledged its international responsibility for violations of Rodas’ political rights, his right to the presumption of innocence, and his rights to public judicial proceedings and to judicial protection, held in Articles 23, 8.2, 8.5, and 25 of the American Convention on Human Rights.

Further, the State committed to taking several comprehensive reparation measures, including holding an event to publicly apologize and acknowledge its international responsibility, holding an academic event and two workshops (one about how these restrictions are incompatible with the American Convention and another about Guatemalan Supreme Electoral Court independence), and providing financial compensation for material and immaterial damage, as well as paying legal fees.

Based on Article 49 of the American Convention and Article 40.5 of the IACHR’s Rules of Procedure, and in the exercise of its role as the guarantor of the inter-American public order, the IACHR noted that the agreement reached by the parties was compatible with the rights held in the American Convention. The IACHR also found that compliance with the reparation measures mentioned in the agreement remained pending, so it decided to continue to monitor the agreement until full implementation had been achieved.

The IACHR is an autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS) whose mandate is based on the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. Its mission is to promote and defend human rights throughout the Americas and to serve as an advisory body to the OAS in this area. The IACHR consists of seven independent members elected by the OAS General Assembly who serve in a personal capacity and do not represent their countries of origin or residence.

No. 278/25

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