Alejandro Giammattei has been sworn in as Guatemala's new president, replacing President Jimmy Morales. The former surgeon and prison chief won the presidency in August with a "tough-on-crime" platform.
Image: picture-alliance/AP/M. Castillo
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Guatemala swore in Alejandro Giammattei as its 51st president on Tuesday as its outgoing leader, Jimmy Morales, exits amid swirling corruption accusations.
The former surgeon and prison chief had run for the country's top job three times before winning a runoff vote in August. A conservative politician who is opposed to same-sex marriage and abortion, Giammattei ran on a tough-on-crime platform that included reintroducing the death penalty.
"The time has come for our country to no longer be identified with violence. This law will allow us to prosecute, process and sentence
gangs for what they are: terrorist groups," he said.
Several Latin American leaders, including Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, Colombian President Ivan Duque and President Lenin Moreno of Ecuador, attended Giammattei's swearing-in. The United States also sent a delegation to the ceremony, including acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.
Deal with the US
Before his inauguration, Giammattei met with the Trump administration officials to discuss how to curb illegal immigration and improve border security. The 63-year-old's predecessor signed an Asylum Cooperation Agreement with the US government in July despite opposition to the deal in Guatemala.
Several Guatemalans were part of a 3,000 migrant caravan that moved through Latin America last year seeking to receive asylum in the United States. US President Donald Trump, who condemned the migrant caravan, threatened to impose tariffs on Guatemala if the government didn't agree to the migration deal.
Giammattei assumes leadership of a country in which 59% of its citizens live below the poverty line and nearly 1 million children below the age of 5 are estimated to live with chronic malnutrition, according to official figures. He takes over for Morales, who spent much of his four-year term dodging corruption accusations.
"Sin conexión": A comic book teaches media literacy in Guatemala
Abril, the comic hero, has been using a public computer but forgets to log out of Facebook, and turns her life upside down. "Sin conexión" ("Disconnected") was developed by Radio Sónica, a partner of DW Akademie.
Image: Sónica 106.9
Pioneer work: Media literacy in Guatemala
Together with the Institute for Radio Education (IGER) DW Akademie is pioneering media and information literacy (MIL) in Latin America. For the last 40 years, IGER has been offering distance-learning courses for the disadvantaged. Listeners learn with the help of programs developed by Radio Sónica, a station aimed specifically at young listeners.
Image: Sónica 106.9
Abril forgets to log out of Facebook
Radio Sónica sees itself as a Guatemalan media and information (MIL) "laboratory", offering radio programs and summertime radio courses that promote MIL. The station also experiments with comics, trains instructors and develops games they can use with students. "Sin conexión" is a comic format that shows young people how important data security is when using social media.
Image: Sónica 106.9
Abril's Facebook account is hacked
Abril doesn't notice her mistake until it's too late. "This can happen," says Edgar Zamora, editor-in-chief at Radio Sónica. "We decided to look at digital security after talking to young people. The comic illustrates the problem better than a long text would and we found it exciting to address a digital topic using a 'traditional' format," he adds.
Image: Sónica 106.9
Someone changes Abril's password
Radio Sónica experiments with formats like the "Sin conexión" comic. "The station has a unique concept: it gets young people involved and gives them a voice, which is something commercial stations don't do. Radio Sónica also takes up taboo topics that other media won't dare tackle," says Johannes Metzler, DW Akademie's Country Coordinator for Guatemala.
Image: Sónica 106.9
Abril uses only one password for all her accounts
Radio Sónica has found that when young Guatemalans are online they are often careless with their data and private sphere. "Abril is like the young people who listen to our station, follow us on social media or take part in our workshops. They really need skills for exercising their rights and creating new perspectives," says Edgar Zamora from Radio Sónica.
Image: Sónica 106.9
"I'm looking for a good-looking guy who wants to know my secrets."
The hacker posts on Facebook using Abril's name. Some users start mocking her and make jokes, asking her about her love life and other private things. But some friends are worried and want to know how she is faring and whether she'll regain control of her account.
Image: Sónica 106.9
Abril is distraught
The project aims to create skilled Internet users who want to take part in the digital society, says Johannes Metzler: "DW Akademie and its partners are continuing to promote media literacy in Latin America because if young people can express their concerns, it contributes to a freer society and counters pervasive violence," he says.
