The Xinka people maintain a struggle to protect life, water and territory from deadly extractive megaprojects, including the Escobal mine. Their commitment to defend life against transnational corporations has cost them criminalization, injuries, and assassinations.

Ten years after the murder of 16-year-old Topacio Reynoso Pacheco in the attack that also injured her father Alex Reynoso, those responsible remain in impunity, and the Reynoso Pacheco family continues to demand justice. In the words of Alex Reynoso:

Ten years after the attack. The investigations did not point anywhere, the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Prosecutor’s Office for crimes against human rights defenders. Even if they have the will to carry out an investigation, in the end they are useless. Instead of helping the families of the victims and/or the victims, they end up harming, as they are investigating very powerful people or businessmen, who are taking advantage of the corruption of the judicial system. After 10 years, I would ask human rights institutions, whether international or local, to pressure for an institution similar to the CICIG that works in the same way in this case to investigate the attacks on human rights defenders, otherwise all the people who have received attacks, will only remain in the archives and without a response to what happened

It is unacceptable that the defenders of water and territory are killed when they are the ones who fight so that all generations to come can live. We recommit ourselves to fight for a world in which Topacio would have lived a long and dignified life. We maintain her legacy and her memory, her life and her struggle will never be forgotten.

Justice for Topacio!