Violence Marks Easter in Guatemala
Despite government efforts to stop the growing violence, including incorporating 2,400 soldiers into the National Police in an attempt to guarantee security during Holy Week, crime continues at a high level in Guatemala, where more than 40 people have been murdered in five days.

The beginning of Easter parties was shadowed by the murder of two young people at the entrance of a church, an act that shocked the population.

Justice activist Veronica Godoy considers that security patrols are not enough to stop selective crimes or organized crime and referred to the need to strengthen investigation and intelligence divisions.

Guatemala stands as one of the region´s most violent countries, with an average of 16 murders per day, most of them attributed to juvenile gangs, "social cleansing", drug-traffic and other types of organized crime.