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Dear Friend,
This month, we invite you to read our end of year report, join us for our 12th annual dinner, learn about developments in the third Ixil genocide case, and read a historic report by the International Mayan League and the Indigenous Alliance without Borders. We are also excited to share that our 2020 calendars are available for purchase!
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2019 Accomplishments: Racial justice, cross-border organizing, and international accompaniment give rise to a brand new GAP in 2020!
2019 saw a backlash against historical memory and heightened border and mega-project militarization, forwarded by powers whose influence can be traced back to the Internal Armed Conflict. In response, NISGUA doubled down on racial liberation, horizontal exchanges between Indigenous Peoples, and the foundation of our work: accompaniment of defenders of life. In the context of capitalist colonialism and global fascism, our work showed us that a new path is necessary, giving life to a new accompaniment program resourced to take on this violence with innovative forms of organizing.
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12th annual dinner: “Seeking Justice & Refuge: Maya Displacement & Migration”
Join us on Monday, December 9, at Platano Restaurant in Berkeley, California for our 12th annual benefit dinner! This year’s dinner will feature a presentation by Dr. Giovanni B’atz’, in which he will discuss the historical roots of Guatemalan displacement and migration to the U.S., conditions at the U.S.-Mexico border, and the particular forms of violence that Indigenous Peoples and youth are experiencing.
Tickets are on a sliding scale from $50-$100*. All proceeds from tickets directly support NISGUA’s cross-border organizing. Please RSVP by ordering your tickets online, or by contacting Meredith (meredith@nisgua.org / 510- 763-1403).
*solidarity ticket prices available upon request
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Dr. Giovanni B'atz' is Visiting Assistant Professor of social anthropology at New Mexico State University. Dr. B’atz’ has worked with Maya communities in Guatemala and in the United States and his research focuses on the impacts of extractive megaprojects on Guatemalan Indigenous communities.
Photo: School for Advanced Research, NMSU
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NISGUA’s first majority Latinx GAP cohort arrives in Guatemala!
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October 7 was a happy day at our Guatemala City office thanks to the arrival of these four amazing accompaniers! Stay tuned for their updates, analysis, and reflections!
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Breaking news: Indictment in Ixil genocide case
In the third case seeking justice for genocide on behalf of the Maya Ixil people, three high-ranking military officials, retired Colonel César Octavio Noguera Argueta, retired General Manuel Callejas y Callejas, and retired General Benedicto Lucas García have been indicted on charges including genocide, crimes against humanity, and forced disappearance. Callejas y Callejas and Lucas Garcia are both School of the Americas graduates.
This is the first judicial process to try the high command of Fernando Romeo Lucas García’s military dictatorship for genocide. The present case involves 31 massacres in which 1,128 people were killed; the destruction of 23 villages; 97 selective killings; 117 deaths due to forced displacement; 26 cases of sexual violence; and 53 cases of forced disappearance. The Association for Justice and Reconciliation (AJR) awaits justice for this case since they first filed formal charges in this case in 2000. |
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"The legal final result [of this case] is uncertain in a country of impunity [like Guatemala], but the survivors can already be at peace because we are fulfilling our obligation to those who were unjustly executed, and to our future generations who will receive a legacy of struggle and resistance."
Survivor and member of the AJR, Ixcán region
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AJR members have been present at hearings almost every day for the last three weeks to demand justice in this third genocide case. Photo: CPR-urbana
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Groundbreaking report reveals human rights violations against Indigenous Peoples on the U.S. - Mexico border
We are honored to share the following report, "Indigenous Peoples’ Rights to Exist, Self Determination, Language and Due Process In Migration," by the International Mayan League and Indigenous Alliance Without Borders. The report was submitted to the United Nations earlier this month, as the United States is up for a review of their human rights practices in May 2020. This research, completed in Tucson, Arizona, reveals the ways in which inhumane policies and treatment of migrants along the border impacts Indigenous communities.
We stand in solidarity with IML and AISF, denounce these violations, and demand a timely and adequate response by the United Nations and the U.S. government. |
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"Indigenous peoples are denied both due process and their identity through language exclusion coupled with their erasure as distinct peoples through statistical omission and erroneous Latino or Hispanic categorization. ... Original peoples of these territories, specifically the O’odham and the Yoeme have also experienced violations of their rights to peace and security because of living in militarized zones that actively deny these rights”
Excerpt from the report, written by Juanita Cabrera Lopez (Maya Mam), Dr. Patrisia Gonzales (Kickapoo, Comanche and Macehual), Rachel Rose Bobelu Starks (Zuni/Navajo), and Lorena Brady
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Order your 2020 "Art as Resistance" calendar today!
"Art as Resistance", showcases powerful photos from Guatemala and the U.S.- Mexico border. Our bilingual calendars make great gifts for family and friends - order yours today!
For more information, or to order calendars in bulk, contact Meredith at meredith@nisgua.org! |
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January's photo: Former Congresswoman Rosalina Tuyuc stirs the sacred fire during a memorial ceremony conducted by the war widows’ association CONAVIGUA.
San Juan Comalapa, Chimaltenango, 2015.
Photo: James Rodriguez
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For nearly four decades, NISGUA has supported Guatemalans resisting U.S. imperialism, militarization, and extractivism, the same forces that often drive people from their homes. Please donate today to support our continued accompaniment, advocacy, and political education.
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Sarasuadi Ochoa
Guatemala Accompaniment Program Coodinator
With the entire NISGUA team: Bridget, Claire and Meredith
P.S. Interested in ways to get involved in NISGUA? Check out our Take Action page today!
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