The President of Guatemala, Alejandro Giammattei.
Archive image.
(Credit: JOHAN ORDONEZ / AFP via Getty Images)
(CNN Spanish) ––
The president of Guatemala, Alejandro Giammattei, asked Congress this Thursday to re-evaluate the application of the death penalty for those who have committed crimes against children and women.
The president addressed the issue on his Twitter account, after the death of an 8-year-old girl.
According to the National Civil Police, the minor was deprived of her liberty.
In addition, the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (Inacif) reported that the girl died of asphyxiation due to strangulation.
Experts say that the minor had blows to her face and hands, and that she had no signs of sexual violence.
The incident occurred in the municipality of Melchor de Mencos, Petén, just over 497 kilometers from the capital.
Cindy Martínez, a spokeswoman for Inacif, told CNN that so far this year 84 autopsies have been performed on women and girls who have died of violent causes in Guatemala.
These cases have sparked outrage on social media.
And a sector of the population has called for an end to violence against children and women in the country.
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Guatemala is one of the few countries in the region where the death penalty is still in force.
Its last application was made in 2000 to two convicted kidnappers.
The men were executed by lethal injection, and their deaths were broadcast on television.
According to the magistrates of the Constitutional Court, the application of the death penalty contradicts the Political Constitution of the Republic of Guatemala and international human rights agreements.
Alejandro Giammatteipena of death