Burden of Peace

Claudia Paz y Paz, Guatemala’s first female Attorney General, is engaged in a burdensome yet brave struggle for justice in one of the most dangerous countries in the world, where corruption and impunity are widespread. Will Claudia succeed in breaking the spiral of violence?

A Dutch documentary maker follows Claudia Paz y Paz from her first day at the public prosecutor’s office in 2010 until her dismissal in 2014. Paz y Paz sets out to transform the corrupt police and judiciary and to tackle impunity in her country. Only 2 per cent of the murder cases in Guatemala are brought before a judge.

Those responsible for the genocide against the Maya population in the eighties have never been prosecuted, and even hold high political office. Claudia is convinced that the spiral of violence can only be broken if the perpetrators of past human rights abuses are finally brought to justice.  There is a glimmer of hope when Paz y Paz succeeds in bringing to trial former dictator, Efraín Ríos Montt. But opposition is rapidly growing…

Burden of Peace was among the projects selected for GoodPitch² The Hague during the 2012 Movies that Matter Festival.