June 25, 2021
Revised NGO Law threatens freedom of association in Guatemala
The undersigned organizations express our profound concern regarding the amendments to Bill 5257, a law governing the activities of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), that went into effect Monday, June 21st, following the Guatemalan Constitutional Court’s (CC) denial of legal appeals against the amendments. This decision occurred in the context of what many experts identify as a cooptation of the CC that seeks to uphold the interests of corrupt elite powers.
We are concerned by the power the revised law gives to the Guatemalan government to permanently close any NGO if its activities are deemed to be in violation of the “public order.” With this vague language, activities that may be considered a disruption to the public order are open to executive branch interpretation. This power could be used to arbitrarily limit or inhibit the work of civil society organizations that criticize or question actions taken by the state, violating their constitutional right to free expression. Civil society organizations that conduct protests and other public actions, and human rights groups that accompany them or monitor government response to such activities, could be summarily forced to close. In addition, these amendments will give the government greater control over international funds, and present overly burdensome requirements for NGOs that could bar groups with limited resources from registering. Even more concerningly, these burdens would most likely disproportionately impact Indigenous and rural organizations.
We reject the implementation of this revised law, given that it violates the freedoms of expression and association and creates a hostile environment for those working to defend human rights. The revised law seeks to silence any public criticism or action that may threaten the state’s power, thereby perpetuating schemes of corruption and impunity. We echo the call by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and its Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression for the Government of Guatemala to “revoke these reforms that restrict public space, contradict freedom of association, freedom of expression and disproportionately make more difficult political participation and the defense of human rights.” If the law moves forward, we highlight that members of the international community will be closely monitoring its implementation and impacts. We stand in solidarity with Guatemalan social movements in the face of these regressive measures.
Undersigned organizations:
American Friends Service Committee
Americas Program
Amicus Foundation
Apoyo a Migrantes Venezolanos
Asamblea Departamental de los Pueblos de Huehuetenango en Defensa del Territorio -ADH-
Asociación Coordinadora Comunitaria de Servicios Para la Salud -ACCSS-
Asociación Pop No’j
Asociadas por lo Justo ( JASS ) Mesoamérica
BC CASA-Cafe Justicia
Center for Gender & Refugee Studies
Centro de Documentación en Derechos Humanos “Segundo Montes Mozo SJ” (CSMM)
Centro de Investigación para la Prevención de la Violencia en Centroamérica – CIPREVICA
Chicago Religious Leadership Network on Latin America
CoDevelopment Canada
Collectif Guatemala
Comité pour les droits humains en Amérique latine (CDHAL)
Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES)
Cooperation Operation
Cultural Survival
Denver Justice and Peace Committee (DJPC)
Earthworks
Environmental Network for Central America (ENCA)
Foro de ONG’s Internacionales de Guatemala – FONGI
Genesee Valley Citizens for Peace
Global Exchange
Global Labor Justice-International Labor Rights Forum
Grassroots Global Justice Alliance
Guatemala Human Rights Commission/USA
Guatemala Partnership Committee, Congregational Church of Needham, Massachusetts, USA
Guatemala Scholar-Activist Network
Guatemala Solidarity Network (GSN)
Guatemala Solidarity Project
IBBY Canada
Illinois Maya Ministries
Immigrant Rights Action/Grupo de Acción
Institute for Policy Studies – Global Economy Program
International Board on Books for Young People — IBBY
International Mayan League /Liga Maya Internacional
InterReligious Task Force on Central America
InterReligious Task Force on Central America and Colombia
Justice in Motion
KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives
Kickapoo-Guatemala Accompaniment Project
Kids in Need of Defense (KIND)
La 72, Hogar-Refugio para personas migrantes
Latin America Working Group (LAWG)
Latinas en Poder
Maritimes-Guatemala Breaking the Silence Network
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
Mennonite Central Committee U.S. Washington Office
MiningWatch Canada
Mujeres con Valor construyendo un futuro mejor MUVACOFUM
National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
Nenqay Che’d Naxidan- We walk the Earth
Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala
Nicaragua Center for Community Action
Otra Guatemala Ya
Pastoral de migración de la Iglesia Luterana Mexicana
Plataforma Canada de Guatemaltecxs Exiliadxs por Terrorismo de Estado
Projet Accompagnement Québec-Guatemala
Red Guatemala-Suiza de Berna
RightOn- Canada
Rights Action
Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights
ROCLA
Sindicato de trabajadores domésticas similares y a cuenta propia SITRADOMSA
Unión Centroamericana de Estudiantes de UCLA
Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC)
United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY)
US-El Salvador Sister Cities
Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA)
Westchester Jewish Coalition for Immigration
Witness at the Border
[…] human rights organizations have raised concerns with the […]