Thelma Aldana

Thelma Esperanza Aldana Hernández (locally ['telma espe'ɾansa al'dana eɾ'nanðes]; born 27 September 1955) is a Guatemalan jurist and politician, former President of the Supreme Court and former Attorney General.

Thelma Aldana
11th Attorney General of Guatemala
In office
May 17, 2014  May 16, 2018
PresidentOtto Pérez Molina
Alejandro Maldonado
Jimmy Morales
Preceded byClaudia Paz y Paz
Succeeded byMaría Consuelo Porras
55th President of the Supreme Court of Justice of Guatemala
In office
October 13, 2011  October 13, 2012
PresidentÁlvaro Colom
Otto Pérez Molina
Preceded byArturo Archila
Succeeded byGabriel Medrano
Personal details
Born
Thelma Esperanza Aldana Hernández

(1955-09-27) 27 September 1955
Gualán, Zacapa, Guatemala
Political partySemilla
ResidenceGuatemala City
AwardsRight Livelihood Award

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.[1] 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. She is married.[2]

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.[3] 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.[4] 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.[5]

Presidential campaign

In 2019, Aldana entered the presidential election, campaigning on the platform of anti-corruption with new party Semilla. However, on 15 May, the Constitutional Court rejected her candidacy for President, since she had been charged by a judge, with no evidence. It’s believed that the charges were presented to stop her candidacy and an eventual administration since she was the front runner .[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]

Aldana was a presidential candidate in the 2019 elections, but was disqualified by the Constitutional Court due to charges of corruption.[6]

References

Legal 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
Party political offices
Preceded by
None
Semilla Movement nominee for
President of Guatemala

2019
Most recent
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
Aleksandr Konovalov
President of United Nations Convention
against Corruption

2017–2018
Succeeded by
María Consuelo Porras
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