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: [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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)
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 [...]
THE ASSOCIATION FOR JUSTICE AND RECONCILIATION -AJR- TO THE PUBLIC OPINION COMMUNICATES: The victims and survivors of the Internal Armed Conflict (IAC) organized in the Association for Justice and Reconciliation (AJR) reject with total indignation the law initiative 6099, because it favors the military personnel responsible for committing grave [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
On Friday, July 28th, 2023, a hearing to review the substitutive measures for Benedicto Lucas García, accused of genocide and crimes against humanity in the Lucas García Ixil genocide case was held. The plaintiff organizations denounced this new attempt to hinder access to justice for victims and survivors. Although [...]
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 [...]
In the face of the proven cooptation of the three branches of the State by sectors historically interested in maintaining corruption, impunity, fear, and defenselessness, which characterize the recent governments of the business, military, and criminal right, the No More Genocide Coalition- (in Spanish Coordinadora Genocidio Nunca Más -CGNM) [...]
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 [...]
The Association for Justice and Reconciliation (AJR) rejects and question the candidacy for the presidential elections of Zury Mayté Ríos Sosa, daughter of the deceased ex-dictator José Efraín Ríos Montt. THE ASSOCIATION FOR JUSTICE AND RECONCILIATION - AJR- COMMUNICATES TO THE PUBLIC OPINION Zury Ríos Sosa's participation as a [...]
On June 9, Guatemala’s justice system granted substitute measures and house arrest to former high-rank military officials Benedicto Lucas García, Manuel Callejas y Callejas, and Francisco Luis Gordillo Martínez, who were sentenced in 2018 for their participation in the illegal detention, torture, and sexual assault of Emma Guadalupe Molina [...]
On May 20, 1999, the Military Diary of Guatemala was published for the first time. Twenty-four years after the publication of the document: The Military Diary, families of the victims registered in it continue to demand justice. We join the thousands of voices that continue to ask #WhereAreThey? #ThinkDifferentIsNotACrime. [...]
On May 10, 2023, the Caravan of Memory and Justice was held to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the historic genocide sentence of May 10, 2013, on which former dictator Efrain Rios Montt became the first head of state in the world to be sentenced in national courts [...]
On May 10, 2023, a press conference was held during the activities to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the sentence against Efraín Ríos Montt in 2013, for genocide and crimes against the duties of humanity committed against the Maya Ixil people. At the press conference, victims and survivors of [...]
![[Alt text] Sobre una pared amarilla hay un empapelado en blanco y negro de rostros de personas desaparecidas durante el Conflicto Armado Interno en Guatemala, sobre estos la imagen de Monseñor Gerardi en blanco y negro, socializado hombre con lentes y con su mano sosteniendo su mandibula. Sobre él, un arco de claveles en color rojo y la frase en letras blancas y amarillas: “Gerardi Vive”. [Alt text] On a yellow wall there is a black and white wallpaper of faces of people who disappeared during the Internal Armed Conflict in Guatemala, on these the image of Monsignor Gerardi in black and white, socialized man with glasses and with his hand holding his jaw. Above him, an arch of carnations in red and the phrase in white and yellow letters: "Gerardi Vive".](https://nisgua.org/wp-content/uploads/Untitled-design-320x202.png)
On April 26th, relatives of victims disappeared during the Internal Armed Conflict, honor the legacy of Monsignor Juan José Geradi Conedera. 25 years after his murder, his voice is still alive among the People, called to continue the struggles to vindicate memory, truth and justice in Guatemala. We [...]
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 [...]
In May 2018, the judges of the Highest Risk Court C sentenced General Manuel Benedicto Lucas García, former head of the Presidential General Staff; Manuel Callejas y Callejas, former intelligence chief; and Hugo Ramiro Zaldaña, former intelligence officer, to 58 years in prison; and to 33 years in prison [...]
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, [...]
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 [...]
International and national organizations warned about a new attempt by the Constitutional Court (CC) to maintain impunity for the crimes committed in the Molina Theissen Case. The CC’s decision orders that a new resolution be issued, which may favor house arrest for the former military officials, Francisco Luis Gordillo [...]
![[ENG] An image with a white background strip at the top of the text reads in black letters boletin 24 March 7, 2023 caso diario militar, next to this title the logo of the association Familiares de Víctimas del caso Diario Militar which are two people embracing, one with a red shirt and dark hair and the other only his empty silhouette on a yellow background. It is followed by a photo of people in a courtroom. On a desk in front, a socialized woman with blond hair, gray jacket and a desk microphone in front and to her right 5 more people in dark formal suits with a microphone in front. Below the photographs the text of the bulletin. [ESP] Una imagen con una franja de fondo blanco en la parte superior del texto se lee en letras negras boletin 24 marzo 7 de 2023 caso diario militar, junto a este titulo el logo de la asociación Familiares de Víctimas del caso Diario Militar que son dos personas abrazándose una con camisa roja y cabello oscuro y otra solo su silueta vacía sobre un fondo amarillo. Le sigue la foto de personas en una corte. Sobre un escritorio de frente, una persona socializada mujer con cabello color rubio, saco gris y un micrófono de escritorio en el frente y a su derecha 5 personas más con trajes formales oscuros con un micrófono al frente. Debajo de la fotografías el texto del boletin.](https://nisgua.org/wp-content/uploads/Boletin-24-CD-320x202.jpg)
Military Diary Case Ex-military personnel Alix Leonel Barillas Soto and Enrique Cifuentes de la Cruz have requested a trial to review their enforcement measures. At this meeting, the lawyer representing the victims in the case analyzed the petition and argued that the crimes for which the accused are [...]
The arrest of lawyer Orlando López demonstrates, once again, the influence that structures in favor of impunity has in the Public Ministry and the justice system, which orchestrates persecution against justice operators, judges, and prosecutors who adhered to the law, fulfilled their role, especially in cases of serious human [...]
![[ENG] Photo of a red and white protest sign that reads "Never Again, Rivers of blood in Guatemala" behind a wall that is the entrance of a church. [ESP] Fotografía de una manta dolor rojo que en blanco dice "Nunca más rios de sangre en Guatemala" en la puerta de entrada a una iglesia](https://nisgua.org/wp-content/uploads/nb25-320x202.jpeg)
Over the past four years, the struggle for justice in Guatemala has endured a series of alarming setbacks that call us to maintain and sustain our solidarity with those we have stood beside for over four decades. During Giammattei’s presidency, the Pact of the Corrupt and their powerful economic [...]
On the National Day for the Dignification of the Victims of the Internal Armed Conflict. WE DEMAND JUSTICE! On this day, we, surviving victims and family members,remember the victims of the CREOMPAZ case. We light candles to keep the fire of hope [...]
Photo by NISGUA Genocide Never Again: Defend the right to Memory, Truth, and Justice. On this, the national Day of Dignification of the Victims of the Internal Armed Conflict, we affirm that we are fighting and will continue to [...]
PAST IMPUNITY IS PRESENT IMPUNITY 43 years after the massacre committed at the Spanish Embassy, the undersigned organizations, members of the No More Genocide Coalition, which brings together organizations of relatives of victims, victims themselves of the direct repression committed by the Guatemalan Army in our communities against the [...]
After judge Gálvez who was overseeing the trial for Guatemala's Military Diary Case was forced into exile under trumped up charges, yesterday, February 2, at the hearing of a former Colonel and former police officer accused in the Military Diary case, a new judge granted both house arrest. The [...]
(English below) Acción solidaria con las familias y querellantes del caso Diario Militar Como NISGUA organizamos esta campaña de fotos esperando que esta muestra internacional de solidaridad sea un aporte más a la visibilidad de la lucha que por décadas los familiares y sobrevivientes han llevado a cabo. Lamentablemente, [...]
Last September, we held a webinar together with the Association of Family Members of the Detained and Disappeared of Guatemala (FAMDEGUA) with the objective of hearing updates directly from the families and lawyers of the Military Diary case and discussing some of the gender-differentiated impacts for women. FAMDEGUA was [...]
The Military Diary is a document that lists the names of 195 people, including children, who were captured and forcibly disappeared between 1983 and 1985 during the dictatorship of Óscar Humberto Mejía Víctores. The Military Diary also lays out systematic human rights abuses committed by the [...]
On May 6, Judge Galvez ordered the opening the trial for the first 9 accused of the Military Diary case, who will face charges for illegal detention, torture, forced disappearance, murder, extra-judicial execution, sexual violence & crimes against humanity of at least 195 people (1983-1985). A central concern and [...]
We share with you a statement from the AJR regarding the return of the remains of several people murdered during the Internal Armed Conflict by the Guatemalan army, to their community of La Trinitaria, Ixcán, Quiche. Guatemala November 17, 2022 We inform the national and international [...]
On November 15, Judge Galvez announced his resignation as a High-risk Court Judge and made public that he left the country due to defamation, intimidation, harassment, security threats and lack of access to a due process. The threats against Judge Miguel Angel Galvez increased dramatically after he ordered the [...]