The 57-page report, 'Guatemala's Lethal Legacy: Past Impunity and Renewed Human Rights Violations', shows that the 'corporate mafia state' is made up of certain economic actors, including subsidiaries of some multinational corporations, who collude with sectors of the police and military and common criminals in Guatemala to pursue their mutual economic interests. They then conspire with these same forces to intimidate and eliminate those who get in their way, know too much or try to investigate their activities.

Kate Allen, Director of Amnesty International UK, said: 'Until the Guatemalan judiciary undergoes a complete reform process to bring it into line with international standards, and until a clear message is sent that no human rights abuses will be tolerated or go unpunished, there can be no real and lasting peace in Guatemala.'

Amnesty International's report shows that this dangerous phenomenon relates to the consistent failure to address the outstanding legacy of mass-scale human rights violations committed during the country's long civil conflict.

People fighting for justice – be they survivors of atrocities, relatives of victims, human rights activists or members of the judiciary – are particularly at risk.

'Digging for the truth'

Amnesty International today is also presenting a 28-minute documentary called 'Digging for the truth' telling the story of Dominga Sic Ruiz (now known as Denese Becker), who as a child survived the 1982 massacre of her native community of Río Negro and was later given up for adoption in the USA. As an adult she decided to go back to Guatemala to confront the past, to look for relatives and to demand justice for the atrocities suffered by her people.

For a copy of the full report, containing case studies and analysis, please visit http://www.web.amnesty.org/ai.nsf/index/amr340012002 .