ACODET denuncia un intento de militarizar las comunidades que resisten la construcción de la represa Xalalá
Según el contrato firmado secretamente entre el Instituto Nacional de Electrificación (INDE) y la empresa brasileña Intertechne Consultores S.A., los estudios de factibilidad para la represa Xalalá debería comenzar en marzo de 2014. Las comunidades organizadas en defensa de su territorio, que por muchos años han luchado en contra de la construcción de la represa, denunciaron la llegada del [...]
Guatemala commemorates victims and 15 year anniversary of truth commission
February 25 marks the annual Day of Dignity for Victims of the Internal Armed Conflict in Guatemala. In addition, 15 years ago to the day, the UN-sponsored Historical Clarification Commission presented its "Guatemala: Memory of Silence" report. Twelve volumes in total, the report provides findings from a detailed investigation of the acts of violence that occurred during Guatemala's 36-year [...]
Sipakapa is still not for sale…
Neither are San Rafael Las Flores, Nueva Santa Rosa, Mataquescuintla, Jalapa nor Santa Rosa de Lima. In 2005, the communities of Sipakapa carried out one of the first community consultations on mining in Guatemala, taking a stand against Canadian giant, Goldcorp Inc., and sparking a movement that has resulted in over 70 referenda throughout the country to date. Communities [...]
Pressure to construct Xalalá hydroelectric dam; Local opposition remains strong
The following is a summary of an in-depth report published by ACOGUATE on January 22, 2014 and translated by NISGUA. Read the full report, Pressure to Construct Xalalá Hydroelectric Dam; Local Opposition Remains Strong. Nearly two years after the Guatemalan government announced its renewed interest in constructing the Xalalá Hydroelectric Dam, communities maintain strong opposition to the project in the three [...]
Organizations denounce high court decision to remove Attorney General Paz y Paz
Last week Guatemala's Constitutional Court (CC) emitted a provisional ruling stating that Attorney General Claudia Paz y Paz should end her term in May 2014, seven months before schedule. Friday, the CC dismissed an appeal by Paz y Paz to reconsider its ruling. US Ambassador to Guatemala, Arnold Chacón, immediately released a statement last week announcing that the US Embassy was [...]
ADH denounces World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank
The Departmental Assembly of Huehuetenango in Defense of Territory and for the Autonomy and Free Determination of the People – ADH – informs the national and international community: During 1981, 1982, 1983, the Guatemalan Army massacred the Achí communities that lived on the banks of the Chixoy River; 444 people, including youth, children, men and women were executed. The [...]