Defense of life and territory Archives - Page 2 of 12 - NISGUA

The Permanent Assembly of Indigenous People and social organizations in defense of democracy declares to the people of Guatemala:

We, the Indigenous people, through our Ancestral Authorities, gathered in a permanent Assembly, together with organizations of Indigenous peoples, civil society, peasants, women, trade unions, students, working-class neighborhoods, settlement dwellers, united market workers, youth, urban organizations, academics and citizens who accompany us. We have met, we have dialogued, and [...]

nisgua_admin2023-11-02T21:16:38+00:00November 2nd, 2023|defensa del territorio, Defense of life and territory, Justice and accountability, Justicia|

Memento on the Resistance in Rescuing Democracy in Huehuetenango

United as Organized Civil Society 1- We, the Mam people, upon finding out about the crimes committed by the Guatemalan government, have organized as civil society to defend and rescue an endangered Democracy, the reason for which national strikes are being carried out. The government and its pact of [...]

nisgua_admin2023-10-30T20:48:16+00:00October 30th, 2023|defensa del territorio, Defense of life and territory|

Clark Taylor, presente!

Photo courtesy of Needham Guatemala Partnership Clark Taylor (and his late wife Kay) were champions and stalwarts of the Needham Sponsoring Community (which they founded). Clark's volunteer field work with anthropologist Beatriz Manz in the 1970s and 80s contributed to her books Refugees of a Hidden War: [...]

nisgua_admin2023-10-30T20:29:30+00:00October 30th, 2023|Defense of life and territory, Justice and accountability|

10 Points to Understand the Political Crisis and National Strike in Guatemala

The crisis in Guatemala is not an isolated moment, it is a structural crisis It has been 17 days of the people of Guatemala expressing their rejection of public officials’ actions of corruption, impunity and perpetuation in power. Specifically, they have demanded the resignation of Attorney General Consuelo [...]

nisgua_admin2025-10-28T23:18:18+00:00October 20th, 2023|Defense of life and territory, Justice and accountability|

Assembly of Indigenous Authorities to the People of Guatemala and the International Community

We want to express our rejection of Consuelo Porras' request to dismiss the Minister of the Interior. Her persistence is of note to us, given the fact that the current situation in the country is a consequence of the Attorney General's stubbornness in not resigning, which confirms her coupist [...]

nisgua_admin2023-10-17T17:19:12+00:00October 17th, 2023|Defense of life and territory, Justice and accountability|

The Indigenous People and Ancestral Authorities to the People of Guatemala make known:

That after 12 days of peaceful demonstrations throughout the national territory, a meeting was held with the President of the Republic, Alejandro Giammattei, with the mediation of the Organization of American States (OAS), in which the demands of the people were presented. That the results of the first meeting [...]

nisgua_admin2023-10-14T12:19:37+00:00October 14th, 2023|Defense of life and territory, Justice and accountability|

Open letter from Indigenous Authorities to the People of Guatemala

People of Guatemala, In recent years we have witnessed the direct effects of corruption and impunity by those whose duty it is to ensure collective wellbeing and justice, so this year, we decided as indigenous peoples to unite together to rescue our country and democracy and demand respect for [...]

nisgua_admin2023-10-14T12:06:52+00:00October 14th, 2023|Defense of life and territory, Justice and accountability|

Letter to the president from the Assembly of Authorities of People in resistence for the defense of democracy

Guatemala City, October 11, 2023 Mr. Alejandro Giammettei Falla The Office the President of the Republic Mr. President, With great indignation and disgust, through the media we have learned that a letter signed by yourself has been circulating in which you insist, just as you did on the national [...]

nisgua_admin2023-10-14T12:02:09+00:00October 12th, 2023|Defense of life and territory, Justice and accountability|

Statement by ancestral indigenous authorities

WE STRONGLY CONDEMN THE ACTS OF VANDALISM AND VIOLENCE! Regarding some acts of vandalism that occurred today, as indigenous authorities we inform the people of Guatemala, that for eight consecutive days we have conducted protests in a peaceful, orderly and respectful manner, allowing the passage of medical vehicles, ambulances, [...]

nisgua_admin2023-10-09T20:22:28+00:00October 9th, 2023|Defense of life and territory, Justice and accountability|

Press realease from the Assembly of the People of Huehuetenango

Before national and international public opinion, we make it known that: The ASSEMBLY OF THE PEOPLE OF HUEHUETENANGO IN DEFENSE OF TERRITORY AND FOR THE AUTONOMY AND FREE DETERMINATION OF THE PEOPLE (ADH) on this occasion categorically declare that we reject the actions of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, which [...]

nisgua_admin2023-09-25T17:48:52+00:00September 25th, 2023|defensa del territorio, Defense of life and territory|

4th Municipal Water Protection Agreement – Municipality of Aguacatán

For years the Departmental Assembly of the People of Huehuetenango (ADH) has remained strong in the defense of the territory from different strategies, last June 21, 2023, the 4th Municipal Water Protection Agreement was signed, in which the alienable and imprescriptible character of the water resources of the municipality [...]

nisgua_admin2023-09-06T18:27:32+00:00September 6th, 2023|Defense of life and territory|

12 Inalienable Principles for the Defense of Water and Territory

Protection of all existing water in Guatemala / Protección de toda el agua existente en Guatemala Recognize the right to a minimal amount of potable water and water for domestic use to cover basic needs / Reconocer el derecho a una cantidad mínima de agua potable y domiciliar para cubrir [...]

nisgua_admin2023-08-30T13:37:52+00:00August 30th, 2023|defensa del territorio, Defense of life and territory|

August Solidarity Update ✊🏽

This month for Guatemala and its struggles has meant the reaffirmation that the struggle for life and dignity will be in its forms, or it will not be. On the one hand, the elections represent the feeling and need to leave behind corrupt systems, giving the vote of confidence [...]

nisgua_admin2023-08-31T21:01:22+00:00August 29th, 2023|Defense of life and territory, Justice and accountability, Solidarity Update|

Key points to understand the 2023 presidential elections in Guatemala

As part of our commitment to share accessible information created in dialogue with our Guatemalan partners, we share below some key points of the historical electoral process, which will culminate with the second round on August 20th. General context for understanding elections in Guatemala: "Pacto de [...]

nisgua_admin2023-08-18T00:47:57+00:00August 18th, 2023|Defense of life and territory, Justice and accountability|

Municipal Water Protection Agreements in Huehuetenango

In Huehuetenango, Guatemala, the Assembly of the Peoples of Huehuetenenango in Defense of the Territory, and for the Autonomy and Self-Determination of the People -ADH- has achieved 4 Municipal Water Protection Agreements. They are leveraging the people's commitment to care for Mother Water by fighting for their municipal authorities [...]

nisgua_admin2023-07-26T21:47:33+00:00July 26th, 2023|Defense of life and territory|

Statement on the Results of the First Round of General Elections 2023

We reject the suspension of the certification of the results of the first round of the general elections. It is regrettable that political parties accused of crimes such as illicit electoral financing, money laundering, or drug trafficking attempt to disrupt the electoral process established in the Political Constitution of [...]

nisgua_admin2023-07-11T01:18:35+00:00July 11th, 2023|defensa del territorio, Defense of life and territory|

June Solidarity Update 🌻

Last June we accompanied our partners in their struggles for justice in the midst of a context full of uncertainty before the electoral period. Join us to read about the importance of an electoral vote with memory and dignity, about the recognition of justice from international awards beyond the [...]

nisgua_admin2023-07-05T23:19:17+00:00July 5th, 2023|Defense of life and territory, Justice and accountability, Solidarity Update|

May Solidarity Update ⭐

Thank you for joining us in this May edition of NISGUA’s Solidarity Update. This month has been a month of justice. Not because of access to it, but because despite the lack of it, the people have never ceased to demand it. This month, hundreds of people took to [...]

nisgua_admin2023-06-22T20:03:54+00:00June 22nd, 2023|Defense of life and territory, Justice and accountability, Solidarity Update, Uncategorized|

Accompanier perspectives: How do we struggle in these times?

Claire (they/them), former NISGUA Internacionalista, wrote this update during their time as a volunteer with NISGUA. Dear NISGUA family, Almost exactly one year after leaving staff, I’m honored to come back for a month as an accompanier. Frankly, it's a disturbing political scene to return to. You [...]

nisgua_admin2023-05-16T03:39:32+00:00May 3rd, 2023|Accompanier Perspectives, Defense of life and territory, Genocide Trial, Justice and accountability|

Accompanier perspectives: Other ways to value life: lessons of liberation and resistance across territories

Oli (they/them) former NISGUA internacionalista wrote this update during their time as a volunteer with NISGUA. Read and enjoy! Dear community, I am in Guatemala for my second stint as an accompanier. Some of the struggles I accompanied when I was here last in 2018-19 have been won, [...]

nisgua_admin2023-04-24T21:34:51+00:00April 24th, 2023|Defense of life and territory, Justice and accountability, Trans-Territorial Organizing|

World Mother Earth Day Statement / Declaración del Día Mundial de la Madre Tierra

Political statement on the occasion of World Mother Earth Day Tq’ijlal Qtxu’ Tx’otx’. The Assembly of the Peoples of Huehuetenango -ADH in defense of the land, autonomy, and free determination of the people -ADH On April 22, 1970, the U.N. declared World Earth Day, and approximately 20 million people [...]

nisgua_admin2023-04-22T17:50:43+00:00April 22nd, 2023|defensa del territorio, Defense of life and territory, Huehuetenango|

Statement of ACODET 15th Ordinary Assembly

THE ASSOCIATION OF COMMUNITIES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT, DEFENSE OF THE LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES ACODET, IN ITS FIFTEENTH ORDINARY GENERAL ASSEMBLY BEFORE THE PUBLIC OPINION, WE DECLARE: We, the indigenous and ancestral authorities of the different indigenous communities of Ixcán, Cobán and Uspantán that make up the Association of [...]

nisgua_admin2023-04-12T16:07:09+00:00April 12th, 2023|Defense of life and territory|

March Solidarity Update 🌷

March has been a month of transitions, from winter to spring, and in the processes of Mother Earth: it is the time to sow! Together, let us sow seeds of solidarity, resistance, and rebellion. Ancestral wisdom teaches us that, in order to grow, seeds must take root in fertile [...]

nisgua_admin2023-04-03T15:46:00+00:00April 3rd, 2023|Defense of life and territory, Justice and accountability, Solidarity Update, Uncategorized|

World Water Day: STATEMENT OF THE INTERCULTURAL SOCIAL MOVEMENT OF THE PEOPLE OF IXCÁN

Río Negro, Ixcan. Photo by NISGUA STATEMENT OF THE INTERCULTURAL SOCIAL MOVEMENT OF THE PEOPLE OF IXCÁN BEFORE PUBLIC OPINION Today, March 22, World Water Day, we express our great concerns about the national and municipal situation. The situation in the country is complicated for the Guatemalan population, [...]

nisgua_admin2023-03-23T00:04:59+00:00March 23rd, 2023|defensa del territorio, Defense of life and territory|

Water, Memory, & Militarization: How one of our partners is building Power.

Photo by NISGUA It can be difficult for people outside of NISGUA to understand the struggles we support here on the ground in Guatemala. If you ask me, this is in large part because of the amount of story required. Because what is truly needed is [...]

nisgua_admin2023-02-02T00:03:37+00:00February 1st, 2023|Defense of life and territory, Huehuetenango|

October-November Solidarity Update

In memory of activist Susanne Jonas "Susanne Jones has died. Long Live Susanne Jonas!" -- Luis Argueta, Guatemalan filmmaker Susanne Jonas, prolific author, teacher, and tireless social justice activist on behalf of Guatemala and Central America more broadly, died while hospitalized with pneumonia in [...]

nisgua_admin2022-11-10T15:23:43+00:00November 10th, 2022|Defense of life and territory, Justice and accountability, Solidarity Update|

The Assembly of the Peoples of Huehuetenango -ADH statemente: Rejection of initiative 6054

ASSEMBLY OF THE PEOPLES OF HUEHUETENANGO IN DEFENSE OF THE TERRITORY, FOR THE AUTONOMY AND FREE DETERMINATION OF THE PEOPLES -ADH- STATEMENT The Assembly of the Peoples of Huehuetenango -ADH, hereby declares its rejection of initiative 6054; which puts at risk even more the fragile state institutions that protect [...]

nisgua_admin2022-10-12T22:43:03+00:00October 12th, 2022|defensa del territorio, Huehuetenango|

Compilation of news in the context of the violent eviction of Ancestral Authorities in Nebaj

By Feliciana Herrera The 48 cantons of Totonicapán give "full support" to the indigenous authorities of Nebaj. "The indigenous authorities of Nebaj managed to legally stop the eviction that the municipal mayor Geronimo Bernal Guzman intended to carry out, and have joined to support the 48 Cantons of Totonicapan, [...]

nisgua_admin2022-09-20T23:01:32+00:00September 20th, 2022|Defense of life and territory, Uncategorized|

Statement: Consultation of Neighbors in rejection of all mining activity in Asunciòn Mita, Jutiapa.

September 2022 ASSEMBLY OF THE PEOPLES OF HUEHUETENANGO IN DEFENSE OF THE TERRITORY, FOR THE AUTONOMY AND SELF-DETERMINATION OF THE PEOPLES -ADH-. The Assembly of the Peoples of Huehuetenango -ADH, categorically rejects the imposition of the extractive model, which is expressed in mining, hydroelectric and other forms of exploitation [...]

nisgua_admin2022-09-20T20:44:30+00:00September 20th, 2022|defensa del territorio, Defense of life and territory|

Statement: Start of discussion against 21 comrades of the Chicoyogüito Community Criminalized for holding demonstrations

Start of discussion Against 21 comrades of the Chicoyoguito Community Criminalized for holding demonstrations Today, September 8, more than a year after 21 of our comrades from the Maya Q’eqchi’ community of Chocoyoguito were detained when we began a peaceful demonstration, the oral and public debate begins through a [...]

nisgua_admin2022-09-20T19:51:15+00:00September 20th, 2022|defensa del territorio, Defense of life and territory|

Statement Indigenous Council of Nebaj, Quiché.

Ixil Region B'OQ'OL Q'ESAL TENAM NAAB'A' INDIGENOUS COUNCIL OF NEBAJ, EL QUICHÉ LOS B'OQ'OL Q'ESAL TENAM NAAB'A' TO THE MAYA IXIL PEOPLE, THE NATIONAL, AND INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY, WE COMMUNICATE: 1. We have information about the arbitrary and illegal decision of the Municipal Mayor Virgilio Geronimo Bernal Guzman; First Trustee [...]

nisgua_admin2022-09-02T13:45:38+00:00September 2nd, 2022|defensa del territorio, Defense of life and territory, Uncategorized|

ASAMBLEA DE LOS PUEBLOS DE HUEHUETENANGO EN DEFENSA DEL TERRITORIO, POR LA AUTONOMIA Y LA LIBRE DETERMINACION DE LOS PUEBLOS -ADH-

Ante la opinión pública exponemos: 1) Como asamblea departamental de pueblos, manifestamos nuestro respaldo político al pueblo mam del territorio de Chimb’al organizado por la defensa de bienes naturales y el territorio. 2) Estamos conscientes del peligro que sufre nuestra Madre Agua, por la voracidad del modelo neoliberal extractivo [...]

nisgua_admin2022-07-15T22:37:20+00:00July 5th, 2022|defensa del territorio, Huehuetenango|

ASSEMBLY OF THE PEOPLES OF HUEHUETENANGO IN DEFENSE OF THE TERRITORY, AND FOR THE AUTONOMY AND SELF-DETERMINATION OF THE PEOPLES -ADH-

In the presence of the public opinion, we expose: 1) As a departmental assembly of the peoples, we express our political support for the Mam people of the Chimb'al territory organized to defend natural resources and the territory. 2) We are aware of the danger that our Mother Water [...]

nisgua_admin2022-07-05T17:13:45+00:00July 5th, 2022|Defense of life and territory, Huehuetenango|

June Solidarity Update / Actualización solidaria de Junio

[español abajo] Building the World We Want Dear community, this month we share with you our reflections about the People’s summit celebrated in Los Angeles, updates on the Military Diary Case and the criminalization of the judge who ruled the opening of the trial, a video- report from the [...]

nisgua_admin2022-06-29T22:47:14+00:00June 29th, 2022|Defense of life and territory, Justice and accountability, Solidarity Update, Trans-Territorial Organizing|

Open call for project proposal for Trans-Territorial Table

Are you in the struggle to defend territory, community, and life? Do you create art to help us dream of other worlds? Do you write and research to articulate analyses and imaginaries of justice and resistance? Are you guided by love for your people, for the water, the air, [...]

nisgua_admin2022-06-24T19:06:44+00:00June 20th, 2022|Defense of life and territory, Trans-Territorial Organizing|

NISGUA and solidarity organizations welcome congressional delegation on the real root causes of forced migration

A member of the community whose home was destroyed by the Escobal silver mine speaks with Representative Corie Bush during the delegation's visit to Xinka territories. Members of the U.S. Congress– Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Rep. Cori Bush (MO-01), Rep. Jesús “Chuy” Garcia (IL-04), and Rep. Jamaal Bowman [...]

nisgua_admin2022-05-06T21:16:37+00:00May 6th, 2022|Defense of life and territory, Delegations, Justice and accountability, Trans-Territorial Organizing|

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere

Far away communities, one struggle. My name is Isabel Ruano. I was born in Guatemala City in the 70’s, in the middle of a siege during a war. I grew up in the Capital of Guatemala while the armed confrontations happened in the mountains and outside of the city. [...]

nisgua_admin2022-05-17T01:33:52+00:00April 26th, 2022|Accompanier Perspectives, Defense of life and territory|

February Solidarity Update 2022

Luis Enrique Mendoza García, former high-ranking military officer, will face trial for genocide and crimes against humanity while attacks to judicial independence continue; a call for mutual respect and transparency on the pre-consultations of the mining project in Xinca territory Flyer announcing the opening of the trial. [...]

nisgua_admin2022-03-01T00:30:14+00:00March 1st, 2022|Defense of life and territory, Justice and accountability, Solidarity Update|

International Solidarity Statement with Communities and Organizations of Chubut, Argentina affected by mine zoning law

Provincial legislature of Chubut, Argentina votes to allow open-pit mining after two-decades of broad community opposition On December 15, the Chubut provincial legislature, in a surprise session and ignoring citizen demands, voted to allow open-pit mining to take place in the Patagonian region of Argentina. Pushed through amidst concerns [...]

nisgua_admin2022-05-11T17:05:41+00:00December 21st, 2021|Defense of life and territory, Escobal|

October Solidarity Update

[español abajo] Dear community, This month, we share with you the concerns of Guatemalan human rights, and survivors organizations over changes to the Public Prosecutor's Human Rights office. We also invite you to commemorate Indigenous people’s day by listening to their powerful leadership in the fight against the US [...]

nisgua_admin2021-11-02T17:15:21+00:00October 29th, 2021|defensa del territorio, Defense of life and territory, Justice and accountability, Solidarity Update|