US and Britain Lose Soccer Friendly

On Saturday, US and British ambassadors Stephen McFarland and Julie Chapell took part in a friendly soccer game against Otto Perez Molina and other mayors of the the Patriotic Party (PP).  McFarland and Chapell played alongside media professionals from Chichicastenango.

Perez Molina scored on a penal for the 1-0 victory.  According to McFarland, Chapell and Perez Molina, the game was meant to convey a message of friendship and against the violence in Guatemala, particularly as the country prepares for next year's election.

According to a report released earlier this months, eighteen journalists have been murdered in the last seven years.  While no journalists have been murdered so far this year, there have been fifteen attacks on freedom of expression.  In terms of politics, over fifty people related to the political process were killed in the last electoral campaign and many are worried about the potential for an upsurge in violence during next year's campaign.