Thelma Aldana
| The Honourable Thelma Aldana | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 11th Attorney General of Guatemala | |
|
In office May 17, 2014 – May 16, 2018 | |
| President |
Otto Pérez Molina Alejandro Maldonado Jimmy Morales |
| Preceded by | Claudia Paz y Paz |
| Succeeded by | María Consuelo Porras |
| 55th President of the Supreme Court of Justice of Guatemala | |
|
In office October 13, 2011 – October 13, 2012 | |
| President |
Álvaro Colom Otto Pérez Molina |
| Preceded by | Arturo Archila |
| Succeeded by | Gabriel Medrano |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Thelma Esperanza Aldana Hernández 27 September 1955 Gualán, Zacapa, Guatemala |
| Residence | Guatemala City |
Thelma Aldana (born 27 September 1955) is a Guatemalan jurist, former President of the Supreme Court and former Attorney General. The prosecution of corruption and impunity was a spearhead of her policy. In 2016 she was given an International Women of Courage Award. In 2018, she was awarded the Right Livelihood Award.[1] She is expected to run for presidency in 2019.
Life
Aldana was born in Gualán, eastern Guatemala, in 1955. She graduated from the University of San Carlos in Guatemala. She has a Master's degree in Civil and Procedural Law.[2] In 2009, she became a judge in the Supreme Court. She served as the president of the Supreme Court from 2011-2012. In 2014 she replaced the highly effective Claudia Paz y Paz as Guatemala’s attorney general.[3]
Courts for violence against women
In 2011, when she was president of the Supreme Court, Aldana started special courts in Guatemala for femicide cases. Killing women, and violence against women are rampant in Guatemala; every year there are on the average 56,000 reports of violence against women.[4] Eleven districts now have the special courts. Judges and police officers receive special gender crime training.
Against corruption
In 2015 Aldana led another investigation into government corruption.[5] In this, she closely cooperated with the Commissioner of the UN International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), Iván Velásquez Gómez. As a result, the President of Guatemala, Otto Pérez Molina, was forced to resign.[6]
Awards
In 2015 Aldana won the Jaime Brunet Prize for the Promotion of Human Rights from the Public University of Navarra. The prize was for her work for women's rights, against gender violence, and for the rights of the indigenous peoples, as well as against political corruption. The prize was 36,000 euros.[7]
In 2016 she was recognised with an International Women of Courage Award by the US Secretary of State.[8]
References
- ↑ Guatemala anti-corruption duo wins Swedish rights prize, AFP, September 24, 2018
- ↑ Thelma Aldana Hernandez, gob.gt, Retrieved 14 July 2016
- ↑ "Guatemala's attorney-general". The Economist. 22 May 2014.
- ↑ "Where women are killed by their own families". BBC News.
- ↑ Carlos Dada (4 September 2015). "Corruption Charges Turn Guatemala Upside Down". The New Yorker.
- ↑ "AQ Top 5 Corruption Busters: Thelma Aldana - Americas Quarterly".
- ↑ EUROPA PRESS. PAMPLONA (10 December 2015). "UPNA - La fiscal general de Guatemala, Premio Brunet de la UPNA". diariodenavarra.es.
- ↑ Guatemala’s Women: Moving Their Country Forward « Central America Network, centralamericanetwork.org
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Claudia Paz y Paz |
Attorney General of Guatemala 2014–2018 |
Succeeded by María Consuelo Porras |
| Preceded by Luis Arturo Archila |
President of the Supreme Court of Justice 2011–2012 |
Succeeded by Gabriel Antonio Medrano |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
| Preceded by Alexander V. Konovalov |
President of United Nations Convention against Corruption 2017 |
Succeeded by TBD |