Guatemala's Top Court Backs Controversial NGO Law, Overturns Past Ruling
By Reuters
|May 12, 2021, at 11:23 p.m.
By Sofia Menchu
GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - Guatemala's Constitutional Court on Wednesday overturned an earlier ruling that stopped controversial legislation targeting non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from becoming law, in a move likely to alarm rights groups and the United States.
Guatemala has been on a collision course with Washington in recent months over the make-up of its highest court, after lawmakers blocked the re-appointment of a key magistrate seen by the United States as being untainted by corruption.
In one of its first major rulings, the court said it had struck down a previous ruling which gave a reprieve to NGOs that had sued against the so-called "NGO law" passed by Congress in February 2020.
The new law will give the government the right to pry into the affairs of and even dissolve non-governmental organizations (NGOs), drawing criticism from Washington for being "onerous".
More:
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2021-05-12/guatemalas-top-court-backs-controversial-ngo-law-overturns-past-ruling
