Guatemala’s first female Attorney General, Dr. Claudia Paz y Paz Bailey significantly improved the country’s notoriously corrupt justice system.

For over 20 years, Dr. Paz y Paz has been dedicated to improving Guatemala’s justice system and human rights policies. Less than three years after becoming the Attorney General, she became globally renowned for standing up against impunity and successfully investigating and prosecuting complex and serious crimes, setting an example for the Guatemalan justice system.

By providing strong support to honest and brave prosecutors on her staff and incorporating the use of DNA testing, wiretaps and other technology, she achieved unprecedented results in sentences for homicide, rape, violence against women, extortion, and kidnapping.

She was removed from office 6 months before her term ended in retaliation for prosecuting former dictator Efraín Ríos Montt -- the first time a former head of state was prosecuted for genocide in his home country by the national judiciary.

Dr. Paz y Paz was a national consultant to the UN mission in Guatemala and served as a legal advisor to the Human Rights Office of the Archbishop. She is the founder of the Institute for Comparative Criminal Studies of Guatemala, a justice reform and human rights organization that works to strengthen the capacity and independence of the justice system and protect the rights of victims during criminal proceedings.