HomeAbout UsGet InvolvedThemes & CampaignsNews and AnalysisActivist ToolsResourcesSupport NISGUA 
Network in Solidarity with the People of GuatemalaTell-A-Friend
 
Respond to Action Alerts

search


Support NISGUA
 Take Action! 
99% of the crimes committed during Guatemala's war have not been brought to justice. Of over 45,000 forced disappearances, only one case has gone to trial. Send an email to support war survivors' right to truth and justice today.  
 Did You Know? 

> Attacks against human rights defenders in Guatemala have doubled over the last five years. NISGUA's teams of on-the-ground international human rights monitors work to deter violence in communities, courtrooms and at public events.

 > Former dictator Efrain Rios Montt, who ruled during the bloodiest period of the war, currently holds a seat in the Guatemalan Congress. He is wanted for genocide and crimes against humanity.    

>
The Xalalá hydro-electric dam is rejected by 90% of the local population because it would displace thousands of indigenous people and damage farmlands and forests. 

Almost 400 mining concessions have been granted to transnational gold, silver, nickel, and zinc companies in Guatemala, posing severe threats to rural communities' social and environmental well-being. 



Urgent Action Alerts

............................................................................................

See below for online alerts and written alerts.

............................................................................................

Online Alerts:
............................................................................................

The impunity rate for past and current crimes in Guatemala soars; 99% of crimes committed during the war have not been brought to justice. Of over 45,000 forced disappearances, only one case has gone to trial; and witnesses in the genocide cases have waited over eight years for a trial. Ask President Álvaro Colom to advocate for victims’ right to justice.
 
The last several years have seen a series of alarming attacks against the staff and offices of several Guatemalan organizations working against impunity. It's time to pressure the Guatemalan government to protect human rights defenders.
 

The war survivors’ organization Association for Justice and Reconciliation (AJR) presented their two cases in 2000 and 2001 against the military high commands of Romeo Lucas García and Efraín Ríos Montt, respectively. Six years later, the cases remain at a standstill in the investigative phase due to the constant switching of prosecutors assigned to the matter.  Send a letter to the Guatemalan Attorney General asking him to ensure the cases advance.
  • ............................................................................................
    Other Key Action Alerts:
    ............................................................................................
    • Support Outspoken Activists
      A string of threats and attacks have plagued prominent Guatemalan activists including previous NISGUA Tour speaker Iduvina Hernández of Security in Democracy (SEDEM) and Claudia Samayoa of the Unit for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders in Guatemala (UDEFEGUA). They have received threatening text messages referencing the security archives that implicate officials in war crimes.

    • End Violence against Market Vendors
      Vendors in Coatepeque are working to protect their traditional local markets in the face of a mega-market funded by an Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) loan. Two of the vendors' leaders have been murdered since December. Vendors have been forcibly evicted from their stands several times in the context of martial law.

    • Support Unionists Fired from Bottled Water Company
      A union that NISGUA accompanies, SITRAPETEN, faces threats, surveillance, and bribery attempts for its ongoing struggle for labor rights. The workers were fired from Agua Salvavidas, a purified water distribution company owned by the Castillo Brothers Corporation, after forming the Peten Distributor Employees Union (SITRAPETEN). The union members have set up an encampment to raise awareness about the labor violations and to demand reinstatement. 

    printer-friendlyprinter-friendly  
    Home | About Us | Get Involved | Themes & Campaigns | News & Analysis | Activist Tools | Resources | Support NISGUA
    Site Map | Tell-A-Friend | Privacy Policy | Copyright Policy

    © 2009 Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala