(Washington, DC) – Guatemalan authorities should carry out a thorough, prompt, and credible investigation into the killing of Juan Francisco Solórzano Foppa, a prominent anti-corruption lawyer, former prosecutor, and former head of Guatemala’s tax agency, Human Rights Watch said today.

On October 17, 2026, armed assailants shot and killed Solórzano Foppa at the Campo Marte sports complex in Guatemala City . Another man, identified by authorities as Gustavo Adolfo Aguilar Gamarro, was also killed in the attack. Guatemalan authorities arrested two men in connection with the crime, but prosecutors said there was no evidence linking them to the attack and a judge ordered their release.

“The killing of Juan Francisco Solórzano Foppa is a shocking attack against a lawyer who played a prominent role in some of Guatemala’s most important anti-corruption efforts,” said Juanita Goebertus , Americas director at Human Rights Watch.…