Francisco Villagrán Kramer (5 April 1927 – 12 July 2011) was a

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

n attorney and

social democrat Social democracy is a Social philosophy, social, Economic ideology, economic, and political philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy and a gradualist, reformist, and democratic approach toward achi ...

who served as

vice president A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

in the government of General Romeo Lucas García, beginning in 1978. He resigned from office on 1 September 1980, before his term ended, citing differences with the Lucas administration and disapproval of Guatemala's worsening

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

situation.Report on the Situation of Human Rights in the Republic of Guatemala, Chapter IX, 1981
/ref> He then went into voluntary

exile Exile or banishment is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, taking a position in the Legal Department of the

Inter-American Development Bank The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB or IADB) is an international development finance institution headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States of America. It serves as one of the leading sources of development financing for the countri ...

. Villagrán later served on the Inter-American Juridical Committee of the

Organization of American States The Organization of American States (OAS or OEA; ; ; ) is an international organization founded on 30 April 1948 to promote cooperation among its member states within the Americas. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, the OAS is ...

(OAS) and the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

International Law Commission The International Law Commission (ILC) is a body of experts responsible for helping develop and codify international law. It is composed of 34 individuals recognized for their expertise and qualifications in international law, who are elected by t ...

. In 1994, he was elected to the Guatemalan Congress, where he was president of the Committee on Human Rights. In 1997, he was nominated for a seat on the OAS's

Inter-American Commission on Human Rights The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (the IACHR or, in the three other official languages Spanish, French, and Portuguese language, Portuguese CIDH, ''Comisión Interamericana de los Derechos Humanos'', ''Commission Interaméricaine des ...

. The nomination raised strong criticism based on the allegation that

death squad A death squad is an armed group whose primary activity is carrying out extrajudicial killings, massacres, or enforced disappearances as part of political repression, genocide, ethnic cleansing, or revolutionary terror. Except in rare cases in w ...

s had been active in Guatemala during his time as vice president. Villagrán authored over two dozen books and dozens of articles on international law and Guatemalan history and politics. In ''Biografía Política de Guatemala'', he described his involvement with the Lucas administration as a failed attempt to exert a moderating influence on an authoritarian regime.

References

External links

History of Guatemala chapter 9, (includes text of resignation)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Villagran Kramer, Francisco Vice presidents of Guatemala Members of the Congress of Guatemala People of the Guatemalan Civil War 1927 births 2011 deaths Politicians from Guatemala City Guatemalan people of German descent Guatemalan officials of the United Nations Guatemalan expatriates in the United States