News from the Grassroots

• Solidarity in the streets
• Apply by October 15 to join the next generation of NISGUA human rights accompaniers
• U.S. Speaking Tour, "Guatemalan Youth in Defense of Land and Life," kicks off on October 9th
• NISGUA's annual "Take a Chance for Justice!" drawing is underway

Justice & Accountability 

• Thousands call for resignation of Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales and Congressional representatives
• We grieve the loss of Ixil genocide survivor Jacinto de Paz, witness in the trial against Ríos Montt
• Families call for justice on International Day of the Victims of Forced Disappearance

Defense of Life & Territory

• Tahoe Resources continues campaign to criminalize peaceful protesters in Casillas
• Environmental defenders in Ixquisis face defamation, labeled "terrorists" by Guatemalan business sector

NEWS FROM THE GRASSROOTS

Solidarity in the streets

Apply by October 15 to join the next generation of NISGUA human rights accompaniers

U.S. Speaking Tour, "Guatemalan Youth in Defense of Land and Life" kicks off on October 9

Take a chance for justice - support NISGUA's work while entering to win fabulous prizes!

JUSTICE & ACCOUNTABILITY

Thousands call for resignation of Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales and Congressional representatives

We grieve the loss of Ixil genocide survivor Jacinto de Paz, witness in trial against Ríos Montt

Jacinto de Paz, a witness in the Ixil genocide trial against former General Efraín Ríos Montt, has died at the age of 88. De Paz’s testimony of the massacre committed in the town of Vicalamá helped prove to the court  that Guatemalan military forces committed genocide and crimes against humanity against the Ixil people during the Internal Armed Conflict. A representative of the Association for Justice and Reconciliation (AJR), Edwin Canil, expressed indignation that the Guatemalan state has seemingly forgotten about Jacinto and his fellow witnesses, saying that those who testified “don’t have support as elderly people, nor do they have access to healthcare." This lack of access demonstrates the continued systemic violence committed against the Ixil people. The Center for Human Rights Legal Action (CALDH) said in a statement, “His testimony was a seed of memory that has been written into the history of our country.” We mourn the loss of Jacinto de Paz, and we celebrate his brave testimony. Click here to read the full statement from CALDH in Spanish.

Families call for justice on International Day of the Victims of Forced Disappearance

On August 30, for the seventh year in a row, Guatemalan civil society organizations celebrated the International Day of the Victims of Forced Disappearance. Together with other organizations, the Center for Human Rights Legal Action (CALDH) and the Association of Families of the Detained and Disappeared in Guatemala (FAMDEGUA), among others, took the opportunity to release a statement calling for justice for the disappearance of Marco Antonio Molina Theissen and for the men, women, and children disappeared in Military Zone 21. In the statement, they called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of high-ranking military officials implicated in these disappearances, carried out systematically during the Internal Armed Conflict. They also called on the Guatemalan Congress to pass Law 3590 to create the National Commission to Search for Victims of Forced Disappearance and Other Forms of Disappearance. The commission would support these groups in finding out what happened to their loved ones and where their remains can be found. Read their powerful statement in its entirety in Spanish here.

DEFENSE OF LIFE & TERRITORY

Tahoe Resources continues campaign to criminalize peaceful protesters in Casillas

One September 8, in a case that temporarily suspended Tahoe Resource's Escobal mining license earlier this year, the Guatemalan Supreme Court ruled that the company had violated the indigenous Xinca people's right to consultation. The court ordered the Guatemalan state to carry out a consultation within a period of 12 months, during which time the company would be conditionally permitted to resume operations, pending the resolution of all appeals linked to the case. At the time of this writing, two appeals have been filed before the Constitutional Court by the Center for Environmental and Social Legal Action (CALAS) and  the Xinca Parliament. More are expected to be filed in the coming weeks.

Despite uncertainty about the current status of the mine, national news outlets have overwhelmingly reported that operations have been authorized to resume, many quoting Andrés Dávila, communications manager of Tahoe’s Guatemalan subsidiary. In a press statement released on September 10, Tahoe states that, "while the Supreme Court ruling allows Escobal operations to commence immediately, the illegal roadblock at Casillas is ongoing, preventing an immediate start of operations at this time." Meanwhile, in the same statement, the company reports having filed a request for clarification from the Supreme Court.

While Tahoe reassures the public and its shareholders that operations are authorized to resume, the company is uncertain enough to file for clarification before the court, while blaming its losses on peaceful protesters in Casillas. Portraying the peaceful encampment as an "illegal roadblock" is a dangerous step towards further criminalization and repression. Tahoe has not hesitated in the past to pressure Guatemalan security forces to suppress social protest. Furthermore, Tahoe’s portrayal of the protest as the only obstacle to resuming operations is not only a manipulation of the truth; it sets the stage for further violent repression of protestors.

For more on Tahoe’s efforts to undermine community resistance, read the lastest on our blog here.

Environmental defenders in Ixquisis face defamation, labeled "terrorists" by Guatemalan business sector

On August 30, environmental defenders from eight communities in the Ixquisis region of San Mateo Ixtatán, Huehuetenango held a peaceful protest to denounce the continued construction of a three-part hydroelectric mega-project owned by the Guatemalan company, Hydric Development and Promotion (PDH S.A.). Community members have spoken out against this project since licenses were granted by the Ministry of Energy and Mines in 2011, two years after San Mateo Ixtatán held a municipal referendum in which residents voted overwhelming against mining and natural resource exploitation in their territory.

On the morning of the protest, communitiy leaders spoke with the police and the Guatemalan army, whose local headquarters are located on private property owned by PDH S.A., to advise them of their intention to peacefully demonstrate their opposition to the project. Community members reported that the protest proceeded without incident until shortly after they dispersed to return home, when they noticed a fire had broken out near one of the hydroelectric dam construction sites. In the days following the protest, a smear campaign began circulating on national and social media condemning the evironmental defenders as criminals. In an official statement, the Guatemalan Chamber of Commerce (CACIF) went even further, calling them terrorists. On September 4, community leaders issued a statement in response, reiterating that protesters had acted peacefully.

This is the latest instance of violent acts against peaceful protests in Ixquisis. On January 17, 72-year old Sebastian Alonso Juan was killed by shots fired from a group of gunmen that witnesses claim included local police and PDH S.A. private security forces. Mr. Alonso Juan’s family is still waiting for his murder to be investigated by Guatemalan authorities and for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.