Mass protests have taken place in Guatemala both in favour and against President Alvaro Colom. On 10th May he was accused of ordering the assassination of Rodrigo Rosenberg, a lawyer who left a video with the chilling words “If someone is watching this video or reading my documents, then I have been assassinated by the secretary of state, Gustavo Alejos, in an attack permitted by the president.”

The 47-year-old had been lawyer to Khalil Musa, shot dead along with his daughter in April. In his video he alleged that he had evidence relating to their deaths, and claimed that he had been threatened various times not to reveal any information he had in relation to the murders

The opposition to Colom, principally made up of businessmen and the upper and middle classes, have presented a petition with 35,000 signatures to Congress. They are demanding that Mr Colom loses his presidential immunity and that he be tried for the murder of Mr Rosenberg.

“We demand that Parliament immediately begins a case against the president and his secretary, Gustavo Alejos, for the accusations made by Rodrigo Rosenberg before he was killed,” warned Luis Pedro Álvarez, the lawyer who delivered the petition to the Supreme Court.

If the petition is accepted, Congress will have to vote on whether Mr Colom loses his immunity. If the necessary two-thirds majority is achieved, the president will be removed from his position until the termination of any subsequent trial.

The opposition also warned that if no response is made within eight days, they will begin national strikes.

Mr Colom, in power for 17 months, has vociferously denied any involvement in the death of Mr Rosenberg, and has publicly declared that “the truth will emerge”.

Member countries of the Rio Group, an association of Latin American and Caribbean countries has come out in support of Mr Colom, affirming its continued faith in “the democratic institutions” of Guatemala.

People also marched in favour of Guatemala’s first leftist president. The majority of his support came from the farmers and the poor.