SAR’s Academic Freedom Monitoring Project investigates and reports attacks on higher education with the aim of raising awareness, generating advocacy, and increasing protection for scholars, students, and academic communities. Starting July 1, 2026, SAR no longer publishes reports for the incidents that it records. SAR continues to monitor and record incidents that will be used in the annual Free to Think report. This page provides a record of incidents reported up to that date. Learn more about the Academic Freedom Monitoring Project.

Date of Incident: January 24, 2026

Attack Types: Killings, Violence, Disappearances

Institution(s):Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala

Region & Country:Americas | Guatemala

New or Ongoing:New Incident

On January 24, 2026, the private security detail of Walter Mazariegos, rector of the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala (USAC), forcibly removed several students from the Western University Center (CUNOC).

Rector Mazariegos was visiting the campus to inaugurate renovations that included the controversial removal of murals and monuments honoring university martyrs. Mazariegos ordered CUNOC closed for the inauguration ceremony, disrupting the daily activities of faculty and students. The private security forcibly removed both students protesting Mazariegos’s presence and those simply trying to access their workspaces. Witnesses reported the presence of over sixty security agents who allegedly hit and threatened students and confiscated their phones.

Scholars at Risk is concerned about the use of force on campus. All members of the higher education community and visitors to campus must refrain from violence, especially on campus. State and university authorities should take steps to prevent and respond to such attacks, including by carrying out investigations and holding perpetrators accountable, in accordance with international human rights standards. In addition to harm to the immediate victims, violent attacks on campus undermine academic freedom and democratic society generally.

Sources:
*SAR identified this incident in data made publicly available by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED)
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFN4DOfBD4r/
https://prensacomunitaria.org/2025/01/usac-estudiantes-del-cunoc-denuncian-agresiones-por-la-seguridad-de-walter-mazariegos/
https://x.com/PrensaComunitar/status/1882855518978601263
https://x.com/PrensaComunitar/status/1882984035258913243
https://x.com/PrensaComunitar/status/1882855516717695302