Claudia González Orellana
Cases- Location of case in SG report
- 2024-056-001
- Relevant SG report
- From Country
- Country Geolocation
Latitude: 15.783471
Longitude: -90.2307589999999
- Country Geolocation (linked Cases)
- Guatemala
- From Region
- UN body that raised the case prior to the SG report
- Secretary-General
- UN Special Procedures: Thematic
- UN (Dep.) High Commissioner on Human Rights
- Dates of prior UN action
- 5 September 2023,
- Type of record
- Named individual
- Gender
- Female
- Was the victim a foreign national?
- No
- Was the victim a minor?
- No
- Individual's/organization's activity
Ms. Gonzalez is a lawyer and attorney of former prosecutors, assistant prosecutors and judges, and between 2011–2019 she was employed at the CICIG.
- Type of rights defended
- Civil/political rights
- Corruption
- Was the victim a civil servant or member of the security forces or of the judiciary?
- No
- Reported trigger of reprisal
work with the International Commission against Impunity (CICIG) and as lawyer of justice officials who worked for or investigated cases with the technical assistance of the CICIG
- Engagement with UN body
- CICIG
- Dates of engagement
- 2011-2019
- Type of attempted engagement
- Other
- Dates of mentioned reprisals
- 2020 onward, 28 August 2023
- Location of mentioned reprisals
- Guatemala
- Reprisal information
- The Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, the High Commissioner for Human Rights and mandate holders expressed concern about allegations of arbitrary detention and prosecution of Ms. Claudia González Orellana in reprisal for her work with the International Commission against Impunity (CICIG) and as lawyer of justice officials who worked for or investigated cases with the technical assistance of the CICIG. Ms. Gonzalez is a lawyer and attorney of former prosecutors, assistant prosecutors and judges, and between 2011–2019 she was employed at the CICIG.
- On 5 September 2023, mandate holders addressed allegations of Ms. González arrest on 28 August 2023 by order of the of the Tenth Court of First Criminal Instance for Drug Trafficking and Offences against the Environment reportedly in connection to a high-profile investigation with the technical support of the CICIG (see also Annex II). Ms. González was accused of “abuse of authority” (GTM 5/2023).
- Ms. González was also the subject of at least four complaints and criminal investigations since 2020 in connection with her work as a defence lawyer of justice officials who worked for or investigated cases with the technical assistance of the CICIG. Ms. González was reportedly subject to online attacks and surveillance (GTM 5/2023).
- On 30 October 2023, the government responded to mandate holders providing information on the conditions of detention and health status of Ms. González as well as on the fair trial guarantees in the proceedings against her.17
- According to information received by OHCHR, on 10 November 2023 the First Chamber of the Criminal Court of Appeals ordered Ms. González’s provisional release from prison with alternative measures of detention, including house arrest. She was released on 16 November 2023 after 81 days in detention. At the time of writing, Ms. González trial continued behind closed doors.
- Types of reprisals suffered
- Charge/Investigation/Prosecution: Charge/Investigation/Prosecution - General
- Charge/Investigation/Prosecution: Conviction
- Charge/Investigation/Prosecution: Trial
- Detention/Imprisonment: Detention/Imprisonment - General
- Further case development
- According to information received by OHCHR, on 10 November 2023 the First Chamber of the Criminal Court of Appeals ordered Ms. González’s provisional release from prison with alternative measures of detention, including house arrest. She was released on 16 November 2023 after 81 days in detention. At the time of writing, Ms. González trial continued behind closed doors.
- Government response dates
- 30 October 2023; 4 July 2024
- Government response content
the government responded to mandate holders providing information on the conditions of detention and health status of Ms. González as well as on the fair trial guarantees in the proceedings against her.17
the Government responded to the note verbale sent in connection to the present report recognising the important work done by justice officials in the fight against corruption and impunity in the country and expressing concern about the cases included in the report. The Government provided a number of factual corrections regarding ongoing legal proceedings concerning the cases described above that were incorporated into to the report.
- Was the case raised by a State at the UN?
- Yes
- Which State raised the case at the UN and when?
BENELUX raised the case in March 2025 at the 58th session of the HRC during the general debate under item 5: 'We continue to raise names of those who have been silenced: 3. Human rights lawyer Claudia González Orellana is persecuted and arbitrarily detained in Guatemala for her work with the International Commission against Impunity. We call for all charges and her house arrest, as alternative measure of detention, to be dropped.'
BENELUX States raised the case in September 2025 at the 60th session of the HRC during the Interactive Dialogue with the Assistant Secretary-General on reprisals: "3. Claudia González Orellana is arbitrarily detained in Guatemala for interacting with the International Commission against Impunity. We call for an independent legal process and her charges and house arrest to be dropped."
- Is the country cited for a "pattern of reprisal" in the context of this case?
- No
- Is a pattern of reprisals mentioned otherwise in the context of this case?
- No
- Does the report cite "self-censorship" as an issue in the context of this case?
- No
- How many times has the case been followed up in subsequent SG reports?
- 1
- In which SG report was this case followed up on? 0
- 2025
- Follow up information provided in SG report 0
- The case of Ms. Claudia González Orellana was included in the 2024 report of the Secretary-General72 on allegations of arbitrary detention and prosecution in reprisal for her work with the CICIG during 2011-2019, and as a lawyer of justice officials who worked for or investigated cases with the technical assistance of the CICIG. The Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers had expressed concerns regarding her detention and prosecution for “abuse of power,” reportedly in connection to a high-profile investigation with the technical support of the CICIG. (GTM 5/2023). Reportedly, in November 2023, Ms. González was released under non-custodial measures, including house arrest and a prohibition on leaving the country without authorization from the Court, after 81 days in detention. According to information received by OHCHR, during the reporting period, the trial against Ms. González continued behind closed doors. Reportedly, her request for the recusal of the presiding judge, on the grounds of alleged lack of impartiality, was denied. After several delays, the evidentiary hearing has been scheduled for August 2025. 80. On 18 July 2025, the Government responded to the note verbale sent in connection to the present report expressing concern about ongoing practices within the justice system that violate the rights of human rights defenders, including justice officials, who have played a significant role in the fight against corruption and impunity in Guatemala. The Government acknowledged that the criminalization of human rights defenders remains a serious issue and reiterated its strong commitment to creating the necessary conditions for all defenders to carry out their work without coercion, intimidation, or reprisals.
- Followup Trends 0
- Deterioration/further reprisals
- Did the government respond? 0
- Yes