A group of hundreds of protesters broke through a metal gate and forced their way into a congressional parking lot, placing chains with padlocks on several doors to prevent some deputies and workers from leaving the building.
Riot police arrived in the area and for a while they remained at a certain distance from the protest, demanding compensation for their role in the war civil in Guatemala (1960-1996) until they went into action, throwing some tear gas to disperse the protesters, who also carried glass bottles and other blunt objects.
Some journalists covering the riots were injured, although nothing seriously.
The Ministry of the Interior (Interior) reported on its Twitter account that, with the support of the police, “the entire evacuation of the personnel who remained inside the Congress was achieved.”
The protest was called in rejection of the alleged refusal of Congress -controlled by the ruling party- to approve a bill that authorizes compensation of about $ 15,000 to each retired soldier for his work during the internal armed conflict, which left some 200,000 dead and missing, the majority at the hands of the Army.
The demonstration began in the morning when they gathered in the central square, in front of the old seat of government, and then went several meters towards Congress, where the riots occurred.
At nightfall, the building and the surroundings were guarded by civilian and military police.
Last Wednesday, hundreds of members of organizations of former members of the Army blocked border points, the passage to a sea port and some 18 stretches of routes throughout Guatemala.
The retired soldiers staged similar protests last June and August to pressure for the ratification of the initiative presented in 2019 by the deputy Felipe Away, a congressman recently included by the United States on a “corrupt” list.
In Guatemala there is a compensation law for victims of the civil war, widows and orphans, but the legislation does not include members of the armed forces, denounced by NGOs for crimes against humanity.
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