Protecting Democracy Through International Law

Amid a global wave of democratic backsliding, some States managed to reverse the erosion of their democracy.For Guatemala, the 2023 presidential election marked a turning point: The pro-democratic presidential candidate Bernardo Arvalo of the Semilla party surprisingly won and formed a new government (see Schwartz).However, authoritarian forces continue to pressure the newly elected government to this day, most notably by prosecuting pro-democratic actors.In light of this pressure, Guatemala's pro-democratic government requested an advisory opinion on the protection of democracy and political rights from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR/the Court).This week, from 17 to 20 March 2026, the IACtHR will convene the public hearings concerning the request, for which 125 written observations have been submitted.