Military documents to enter into evidence in this week of the ongoing trial around the genocide of the Maya Ixil Indigenous People in Guatemala.
Ixil Genocide Update. May 13h – 17th, 2024.
Monday, May 13th, 2024 “Today the hearing was suspended due to a problem in the judicial branch network, which was defined as “unusual”. This made it difficult to connect the courtroom with the Military Medical Center, where the defendant, the retired general Manual Benedicto Lucas García, is being held. [...]
Ixil genocide case update: May, 6th to 9th, 2024
Hearings accompanied by AJR Rabinal region Monday May 6th, 2024 Diego Avilés Toma, Cajixay, San Juan Cotzal Witness Diego Avilés recounted that his village was burned by elements of the Guatemalan army on January 8, 1982. The witness heard shouts that the army was coming and he hid [...]
Ixil Genocide Update. April 29th and 30th, 2024.
Monday April 29 Hearing attended by Ancestral Indigenous Authorities of the Ixil Region First witness: Petrona López de Paz, Estrella Polar. The witness lived in Estrella Polar on March 23rd of 1982, when soldiers arrived in the community carrying weapons at around 5pm and told them that there was [...]
Twenty-five years since the publication of the Military Diary
(ESPAÑOL ABAJO) Twenty-five years since the publication of the military intelligence document known as the Dossier of Death (Dossier de la Muerte) or Military Diary, families, victims and survivors of State terror and the politics of forced disappearances; Claim the memory and struggle of our relatives, who were repressed [...]
John Sutton Presente!
John Sutton, presente! John Sutton, tireless community leader for peoples' liberation struggles, has left a void that is impossible to fill. His legacy, marked by his unwavering commitment to awareness and action for justice in Guatemala and beyond, will resonate throughout time. John was much more than an activist; [...]
Ixil Genocide Case update. April 22nd -25th, 2024.
This week, they placed screens in the courtoom that protect the identities of the women who were victims of sexual violence as they gave their testimony. With them in the courtroom were representatives of the Ancestral Ixil Indigenous, Maya Achi women, who are also survivors of sexual violence in [...]
Ixil Genocide Case update, Monday, April 15th, 2024 to Friday, April 19th, 2024.
The Ixil Genocide trial against Benedicto Lucas García continued this week, April 15-19. During the hearings, members of the Association for Justice and Reconciliation (AJR) were present, as well as members of of the Ancestral Ixil Indigenous Authorities of Nebaj, and representatives from civil society and the international community. [...]
Statement: Condemn sexual violence in the Ixil Genocide
(ESPAÑOL ABAJO) Guatemala, April 22nd, 2024. The members of the National Platform of Organizations of Victims of the Internal Armed Conflict condemn the inhumane and despicable acts committed by the army against the Maya Ixil people during the dictatorship of Romeo Lucas Garcia (1978-1982). In particular, we repudiate the [...]
Ixil Genocide Case update, Monday, April 8th, 2024 to Friday, April 12th, 2024.
This week, the hearings were accompanied by members of the Association for Justice and Reconciliation (AJR) of the Kaqchikel region, Ancestral Indigenous Authorities of the Ixil region of Nebaj and various national and international civil society organizations. Monday, April 8th, 2024 On the third day of hearings [...]
Genocide Ixil case – April 5th, 2024
On April 5th, 2024, the oral and public debate against former military officer: Benedicto Lucas García, accused in the Ixil Genocide case and driven by the Association for Justice and Reconciliation (AJR), was resumed by the High-Risk "A" Court. The Public Ministry stated in its opening arguments that it [...]
Solidarity with Ixil People from Denver, Colorado / Solidaridad con el Pueblo Ixil desde Denver, Colorado
[ESPAÑOL ABAJO] People connected to the Denver Justice & Peace Committee in solidarity with the Ixil People. The process brings to mind critical and harsh situations from Guatemala's history. We honor the struggle and resistance of the Association for Justice and Reconciliation (AJR) as survivors, victims, relatives of victims, [...]
March Solidarity Update
Welcome to the March Solidarity Update! This month, we participated in a series of critical activities and topics that are setting the stage for the field of justice and human rights. We highlight the transitional justice case of the Alaska Summit Massacre, a milestone that represents an important step [...]
Opening to the Oral and Public Debate: Delay Tactics Used in the Ixil Genocide Trial by Benedicto Lucas García’s legal team.
On March 25, 2024, the first hearing of the Oral and Public Debate was held against former General Benedicto Lucas García, for the crimes of genocide, sexual violence and crimes against humanity, committed during the dictatorship of his brother Romeo Lucas García (1978-1982). Ancestral Indigenous Authorities of the Ixil [...]
Statement: Ixil Genocide Case Seeks Non-Repetition of cruel events
[ESPAÑOL ABAJO] The Association for Justice and Reconciliation –AJR- And the Office of Human Rights of the Archbishop of Guatemala -ODHAG-. To the national and international public opinion: After 23 years since the first complaint was filed in 2001, on March 25 and 26, 2024, the Criminal Sentencing, Drug [...]
Case status: Ixil Genocide, government period of the general Fernando Romeo Lucas Garcia (July 1st of 1978 to March 23rd of 1982).
Background. After 36 years, Guatemala put an end to the Internal Armed Conflict –IAC-, with the definitive ceasefire and the signing of the firm and lasting Peace Agreement on December 29th of 1996. Previously, through the Oslo Accords (1994), the parties agreed to the creation of the Commission for [...]
Statement Cumbre de Alaska case -february 28th, 2024-
[ESPAÑOL ABAJO] 11 years after the first massacre in times of peace, against the Maya K’iche’ people of Totonicapán, which took place on October 4th, 2012, the Board of Directors of the 48 Cantons, widows, victims, survivors and the people of Totonicapán demand justice and a conviction [...]
![[ENG] A painting with a white background and gold border with two black and white photographs of victims of the Internal Armed Conflict in Guatemala. Behind the painting is a cross painted in black with white letters that read: "1982," both supported by metal chairs, on one side there are yellow flowers.](https://nisgua.org/wp-content/uploads/14-2-320x202.jpeg)
National Day of Dignification for the Victims of the Internal Armed Conflict – February 25th, 2024-
On February 25th of each year, Guatemala commemorates the "National Day of Dignification for the Victims of the Internal Armed Conflict (IAC)." Survivors and family members marched on Sunday the 25th from the Human Rights Plaza at the Palace of Justice to the National Palace of Culture, in zone [...]
Public Statement for the National Day of Dignification for the Victims of the Internal Armed Conflict (IAC)
Coordination of Ixil Organizations and Organizations of Victims of the Internal Armed Conflict (IAC) Indigenous people in Guatemala, among them the Maya Ixil people, have experienced moments of pain, sadness, and resistance in their history, one of the most recent being the Internal Armed Conflict between 1960 and [...]
![[ENG] The image is a photograph taken at night of the national palace of Guatemala, which is illuminated with artificial lights and you can see the shadows of people looking towards the building. [ESP] La imagen es una fotografía tomada de noche del palacio nacional de Guatemala, que se encuentra iluminado con luces artificiales y se alcanzan a ver las sombras de personas que están mirando hacia el edificio.](https://nisgua.org/wp-content/uploads/signal-2024-02-14-142806-320x202.jpeg)
February solidarity update
After 106 days of resistance of Indigenous people in the national strike against corruption and in defense of democracy in Guatemala, our partners continue the fight for truth, memory, and justice. In this solidarity update we share with you: a series of interviews with Guatemalan Indigenous leaders during the [...]
![[ESP] En un espacio abierto con el cielo azul de fondo, una manta blanca con el rostro de una persona socializada como hombre en blanco y negro, debajo letras en color negro ilegible, la manta es sostenida por una persona por detrás. [ENG] In an open space with blue sky in the background, a white blanket with the face of a person socialized as a man in black and white, underneath letters in illegible black, the blanket is held by a person from behind.](https://nisgua.org/wp-content/uploads/1-7-320x202.jpeg)
42nd anniversary of the forced disappearance of Emil Bustamante
February 13,2024 commemorates the 42nd anniversary of the forced disappearance of Emil Bustamante, a university social leader. His families, friends and organized collectives gathered to march to the Matamoros military headquarters, where he was last seen alive in 1982. "This terrible ignominy was not 42 February (years) ago, it [...]
Statement in solidarity with community journalist Norma Sancir
(Spanish below) On January 31, Judge Jorge Douglas Ochoa of the Criminal Sentencing Court of the Department of Chiquimula sentenced a commissioner and two agents of the National Civil Police (PNC) for the crime of abuse of authority in the detention of journalist Norma Sancir, who was covering a [...]
Statement: ODHAG offices raided
The Human Rights Office of the Archbishop of Guatemala (ODHAG) denounces that during the early morning hours of February 14, the offices of Culture and Peace, the programs of historical memory, childhood, conflict transformation and community organization were broken into by unknown persons. They report the theft of laptop [...]
![[ESP] En un fondo blanco, en la la parte de arriba y abajo al borde de la página ondas color morada, lila, azul, celeste que se mezclan entre si. En la esquina superior izquierda el logo de una paloma en pleno vuelo y a los pies de ella las letras CALDH de color azul. En letras negras el pronunciamiento. [ENG] On a white background, at the top and bottom edge of the page purple, lilac, blue, light blue waves that are mixed together. In the upper left corner the logo of a dove in full flight and at its feet the letters CALDH in blue. In black letters the statement.](https://nisgua.org/wp-content/uploads/GFMtuZtWEAAoXTQ-320x202.jpeg)
Statement: Justice for journalist Norma Sancir
Judge Jorge Douglas Ochoa of the Criminal Sentencing Court of the Department of Chiquimula sentenced a commissioner and two agents of the National Civil Police (PNC) for the crime of abuse of authority in the detention of journalist Norma Sancir, who was covering a demonstration of the Chortís communities [...]
January Solidarity Update
We welcome you all to the new year, a year of continuing the struggle and resistance of the people in Guatemala, Palestine, and the whole world. The voices that clamor for the people’s liberation do not cease. We join in solidarity to amplify those voices from where we find [...]
Statement of the permanent Assembly of Authorities of Indigenous People in Defense of democracy
THANK YOU TO THE PEOPLE OF GUATEMALA FOR THESE 105 DAYS OF RESISTANCE We have completed 105 days of dignified and historic resistance in defense of democracy, with which we have demonstrated that the power of the people should not be underestimated. When all was thought lost, our organization [...]
AJR statement: Dementia and amnesia will not erase the perpetrators’ crimes.
On January 4, the oral and public debate for the Ixil Lucas García genocide case was scheduled to begin. A day before, a hearing was held to conclude on the mental health of Manuel Callejas y Callejas. The court resolved the cessation of criminal prosecution in an ordinary trial [...]
FAMDEGUA’s statement regarding the Dos Erres recent resolution
On November 7 a court acquited 3 former kaibiles accused in the Dos Erres massacre case despite that in 3 previous trials several military officers were convicted and the facts were proven. During this trial Gilberto Jordán, José Mardoqueo Ortiz & Alfonso Bulux Vicente were accused of killing more [...]
5 Points to understand why the National Strike continues in Guatemala
"Let us walk hand in hand with the People" Since the last update we shared, the Indefinite National Strike initiated on October 2nd, led by the Ancestral Authorities of different Indigenous peoples throughout the country, and maintained by various sectors of the Guatemalan population, continues. The demand is firm: [...]
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 [...]
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: [...]
Rest in power Don Marcial 🌻
Photo by: Rode Díaz. 2013 "When the moment comes that I disappear from this world, I do not want a pantheon to be built for me, because Mother Earth gave me everything I needed to live, and since I have no other resource to give back to Mother [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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, [...]
![[ENG] At the top in the middle the FAMDEGUA logo. In a white background with black letters the statement. [ESP] En el medio de la página en la parte superior el logo de FAMDEGUA, en un fondo blanco con letras negras el pronunciamiento.](https://nisgua.org/wp-content/uploads/signal-2023-10-02-132657_002-320x202.jpeg)
Statement faced with the kidnapping of the people’s decision through the policies of State terrorism implemented by the current government and its criminal pact.
As Families of disappeared persons detained in Guatemala, we express: A resounding rejection to the grotesque and improper raid in the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, which reminds us of the worst moments of the dictatorships that resulted in more than 45,000 people detained and disappeared in Guatemala, and sends a [...]