Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala
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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. |
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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. |
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printer-friendlyUrgent Action Alerts
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See below for online alerts and written alerts.
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Online Alerts:
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NISGUA and Collectiff Guatemala, two solidarity organizations, are deeply concerned following reports of recent intimidation and persecution of human rights defenders, along with high levels of militarization as a result of this conflict.
Goldcorp Inc, por medio de su subsidiara guatemalteca Montana Exploradora, nuevamente ha tomado acciones legales en contra de campesinos Maya Mam que están en contra de sus operaciones mineras en San Miguel Ixtahuacán, en el altiplano occidental de Guatemala. La denuncia se giro en contra de 7 líderes locales después de una confrontación con la compañía por una disputa de tierra y preocupaciones por los recursos hídricos que sucedió el viernes 12 de junio en la comunidad de Saqmuj localizada en la aldea de Agel.
NISGUA y Collectiff Guatemala, dos organizaciones de solidaridad internacional, están profundamente preocupadas y siguiendo los reportes de recientes intimidaciones y persecución a los defensores de derechos humanos, así como por los crecientes niveles de militarización como resultado de este conflicto. 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:
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- 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.
- Crackdown
on Local Citizens Opposing Goldcorp’s
“Marlin” Mine Escalates in San
Marcos, Guatemala
Nine arrest warrants have been issued for community members in the municipality of San Miguel Ixtahuacán, department of San Marcos in an attempt to criminalize and eliminate local resistance to the Marlin mine, a gold and silver extraction operation in the area. Community leaders have also received death threats.
- Represiones
Contra Ciudadanos Locales que se Oponen a la Mina Marlin de Goldcorp
Aumentan en San Marcos, Guatemala
Ocho ordenes de captura contra ocho mujeres y denuncia contra un hombre; lideres comunitarios reciben amenazas de muerte.
- Past Action Alerts - please click here
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