AJR: Mayan Genocide Survivors Who Brought Two Dictators to Justice
AJR: Mayan Genocide Survivors Who Brought Two Dictators to Justice Silence gave way to testimony. Twenty-two Maya communities—survivors and families from Achi’, Kaqchikel, Ixil, K’iche’, Q’eqchi’, Chuj, and Q’anjob’al peoples—transformed grief into demands across two [...]
NISGUA: 45 Years of Resistance and Solidarity
NISGUA: 45 Years of Resistance and Solidarity This report is a glimpse into what 45 years of solidarity have looked like in practice—walking alongside communities defending their land and water, supporting survivors in their [...]
Solidarity Beyond Headlines: NISGUA’S 2025 Year in Review
Solidarity Beyond Headlines: NISGUA's 2025 Year in Review Celebrate 2025 with NISGUA! From murals and art keeping memory alive, to standing with communities defending water and environmental justice, to accompanying survivors in court, and sharing [...]
From Resistance to Victory: Lessons from Guatemalan Movements
From Resistance to Victory: Lessons from Guatemalan Movements Across Guatemala, grassroots movements are confronting injustice with courage, creativity, and deep-rooted collective power. From defending ancestral lands against extractive industries to reviving cultural identity and [...]
Trump 2.0 and Guatemala
Trump 2.0 and Guatemala As Trump returns to power, our new analysis exposes how U.S.-Guatemala agreements threaten vulnerable communities through mass deportations and exploitation of resources. Through powerful testimonies from Indigenous leaders fighting for [...]
Long Haul Struggle
Long Haul Struggle The struggle for justice and life is long and painful, but also joyful and beautiful. Defending Guatemalan democracy took a 106-day national strike. Sending a war criminal to trial required years [...]
70 Years: Remembering the U.S. Coup Against Arbenz
70 Years: Remembering the U.S. Coup Against Árbenz “Una Realidad. Ley de Reforma Agraria” (A Reality. Agrarian Reform Law) by Ismael Aroche (Museo de la Universidad de San Carlos). On June 27, 1954, [...]
How to stop a coup?
How to stop a coup? Photo by NISGUA. Sacred fire in ceremony for the anniversary of the Departmental Assembly of Huehuetenango. July 2023. From October 2023 to January 2024, a coup attempt in [...]
Remembering the future: Where we come from and where we’re going.
Remembering the future: Where we come from and where we’re going Times are changing. Crises multiply across the world, including in Guatemala, and so are resistance movements that challenge violent systems and create alternatives. This [...]
Encuentro Trans-Territorial: Never Again an Isolated Struggle
Encuentro Trans-Territorial: "Never Again an Isolated Struggle" Photo by: NISGUA NISGUA’s desire to organize an Encuentro Trans-Territorial (Trans- Territorial Gathering) has been germinating for years. The dream was to gather NISGUA’s partners across [...]
Reflecting on genocide 10 years after Ríos Montt’s conviction
Reflecting on genocide 10 years after Ríos Montt's conviction The Association for Justice and Reconciliation (AJR) and the Center for Legal Action and Human Rights (CALDH) continue resisting political impunity and national forgetting of [...]
![[ESP] Una imagen de una persona socializada hombre, sosteniendo una pancarta de fondo negro con letras blkancas, amarillas y rojas que dice: Abran los cuarteles, aquí estan los archivos. Nunca más militares genocidas. Al fondo la entrada de un cuartel militar [ENG] An image of a male socialized person, holding a black background banner with white, yellow and red letters that reads: Open the barracks, here are the archives. Never again genocidal military. In the background the entrance of a military barracks](https://nisgua.org/wp-content/uploads/Untitled-design1-2-540x272.png)
Unending War, Undying Resistance: U.S. Militarization of Guatemala from the Internal Armed Conflict to the Present
Unending War, Undying Resistance: U.S. Militarization of Guatemala from the Internal Armed Conflict to the Present Photo by: H.I.J.O.S Guatemala The militarized repression that has taken place the last few years in places [...]
Our 2022 accomplishments: Territories in Resistance
Our 2022 accomplishments: Territories in Resistance During the height of the pandemic, social movements found strength in the rallying cry that we will not return to “normal!” We give gratitude to the BIPOC leaders, [...]
Targets of the State: Dignity, justice, and criminalization in Guatemala
Photo of a Plurinational strike in Guatemala City. July 19th, 2021 by Juan M. Rosales S. Twitter and Instagram: @juanmrosales39 Targets of the State: Dignity, justice, and criminalization in Guatemala. Lee el informe en español [...]
Uncovering the Real Root Causes of Forced Migration: Members of “The Squad” Visit Honduras and Guatemala
During their first day in Guatemala, the delegation met with our partners and gave updates about legal cases regarding crimes against humanity committed by the U.S.-backed Guatemalan state in the 1980s. "Uncovering the Real Root Causes [...]
“Yes to life, no to mining:” An update on the Xinka resistance to the Escobal mine
A section of a popular education graphic by Xinka Parliament and CODIDENA. The sign reads “The Xinka People protect natural resources.” “Yes to life, no to mining:” An update on the Xinka resistance to [...]
Our 2021 accomplishments
Our 2021 accomplishments In our 40th year, we kept learning that community is the only way forward. NISGUA still stands strong through the storms of pandemic and fascism because our root system is forty years of comrades [...]
Demanding justice
Demanding justice Survivors are leading us towards a new, more liberated world, and it could not be clearer how urgently we must follow their path. We turn to Black and Indigenous organizers who are envisioning and [...]
40 Years of Solidarity
40 Years of Solidarity! 2021 is NISGUA’s 40th anniversary! To honor the ongoing struggle of the people of Guatemala and the solidarity movement, we invite you to walk with us through four decades of [...]
New chapter, new opportunities: Migrant solidarity in 2021
Members of the Departmental Assembly of Peoples of Huehuetenango (ADH) march against the ACAs in 2019. New chapter, new opportunities: Migrant solidarity in 2021 LEER EN ESPANOL Migrants, especially Black and [...]
Our 2020 Accomplishments
An AJR organizer helps a community member put on a mask. Photo credit: AJR. Our 2020 Accomplishments: Deep roots weather the storm Para leer en español Together with our partners, NISGUA was called to [...]
“We must not be discouraged” – An interview with Dolores Cu
"We must not be discouraged" - An interview with Dolores Cu Para leer en español There is so much horror in the world. And, as those of you who have accompanied us over the [...]
In moments of global crisis, internationalism shows us a path forward
Members of CODIDENA hand out food and supplies (Credit: CODIDENA). In moments of global crisis, internationalism shows us a path forward Para leer en Español PIVOT is a word for our times. [...]
No safe third country agreements with Central America
A sign reads, "The interference by the United States buries the people's peace." No safe third country agreements with Central America In July 2019, the Guatemalan Interior Minister and the acting Secretary of [...]
Our 2019 Accomplishments
Women in Copal AA gather around a table laden with fruits and drinks after a conversation with the Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN) representatives. Our 2019 Accomplishments: Racial justice, cross-border organizing, and international accompaniment give rise [...]
Guatemala resists U.S. border imperialism
Three hundred community members organized by the ADH took over the Mesiilla check point on the Guatemala-Mexico border on August 9, protesting the "third safe country" agreement, systemic impunity & the invasion of their territorries by extractive industry. [...]
2019 Delegation: Environmental Indigenous Leadership
Diné delegates hold their flag representing the Navajo Nation outside of the Copal AA school. Photo credit: Chantelle John 2019 Delegation: Environmental Indigenous Leadership This March, NISGUA partnered with New Mexico State University [...]
Social Movements Fight Institutionalized Impunity
Martina Bar Sunun, first spokesperson for the board of the AJR, marches with a sign representing the AJR. Photo by NISGUA. Social Movements Fight Institutionalized Impunity In the midst of a global political [...]
2018 Accomplishments
Our 2018 Accomplishments In 2018, NISGUA created opportunities for horizontal exchange, for political education, and for growing into a lifelong commitment to organizing for a just world. This year, as communities faced heightened repression in both Guatemala [...]
18 Years Seeking Justice in the Courts
People from the community of Choatalúm meet with human rights lawyer Edgar Pérez as the first case of forced disappearance goes to trial (Credit: Amanda Kistler) 18 Years Seeking Justice in the Courts [...]
Community Consultations: A model of resistance
Maya K’iche’ and Maya Uspanteko citizens vote in an October 2010 referendum in Uspantán, El Quiché. More than 25,000 residents voted to reject mining and hydroelectric megaprojects in the municipality. Photo: Graham Hunt Community Consultations: [...]
Water is Life
In Guatemala, the decades-plus organizing of ACODET offers concrete lessons to movements defending land and neighborhoods. ACODET has staved off the imposition of the Xalalá Dam and strengthened a regional movement for indigenous self-determination. They not only denounce the waste and pollution of water, but also lift up the need to protect indigenous life and strengthen community defense.
Our 2017 Accomplishments
Members of the NISGUA staff and board meet with the Departmental Assembly of Huehuetenango (ADH). Photo by NISGUA. Our 2017 Accomplishments This year, our work continued to focus on drawing deeper connections between struggles [...]
Forced Disappearance: Resilience and creativity in the defense of memory and search for justice
450 chairs are set up in Guatemala City on June 30, 2017 to commemorate the 45,000 people disappeared by the Guatemalan military. Credit: CPR Urbana. Photo: Faces of some of the people forcibly disappeared by [...]
In Defense of Land
In defense of land: Environmental defenders on the frontlines of the global struggle for community self-determination and respect for the Earth The Earth is in the midst of an unprecedented ecological crisis, the impacts of which are being felt [...]
2016 Accomplishments
2016 Accomplishments Our work this year focused on the connections between movements for indigenous rights and community self-determination, struggles against military and police violence, and grassroots efforts to protect land. NISGUA has long worked in solidarity with Guatemalan [...]
No to the militarization of communities and borders. Yes to self-determination!
No to militarization of communities and borders. Yes to community self-determination! As the Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA), we believe that all of us have shared stakes with the people of Guatemala in [...]
Trial continues for seven political prisoners from Huehuetenango
Solidarity Update: July 21, 2016 Justice and Accountability Psychologist Maudí Tzay joins NISGUA this fall on tour in the United States Eight former military to stand trial for charges in the CREOMPAZ case Urban activists return to [...]
CREOMPAZ: The biggest case of forced disappearance in Latin America
CREOMPAZ: The largest case of forced disappearance in Latin America On January 6, 2016, 14 former military officers were arrested on charges of forced disappearance and crimes against humanity based on evidence uncovered at the CREOMPAZ military [...]
Sepur Zarco: first-ever conviction for sexual and domestic slavery
Sepur Zarco: Q’eqchi’ women set a precedent in Guatemala with first-ever conviction for sexual and domestic slavery In 2012, Doña Mariana*, along with 14 other women, testified to having survived sexual and domestic slavery at the hands [...]
Our 2015 Accomplishments
This year, we witnessed incredible movements for change in Guatemala. In the face of rampant corruption, new alliances emerged across broad sectors of civil society, while massive mobilizations against impunity saw more people than ever before take to the streets [...]
Under Siege: Peaceful Resistance to Tahoe Resources and Militarization in Guatemala
Almost from the moment Canadian-US mining company Tahoe Resources acquired the Escobal silver project from Goldcorp over five years ago, the company and the Guatemalan government have used repression, criminalization, and, ultimately, militarization to try to silence peaceful resistance to [...]
Tahoe on Trial: Communities rise up to defend land and life
When Tahoe Resources bought the rights to the Escobal project from Goldcorp Inc. in 2009, it acquired more than a silver mine. The Canadian and U.S.-owned company also acquired Goldcorp’s legacy of imposition and violation of rights with collaboration from [...]
Commemorating 10 years of community consultations in defense of land and life
A Guatemalan movement for self-determination using ancestral organizing against resource extraction and exploitation. For generations, indigenous communities in Guatemala have held consultations to make decisions on issues affecting their people and their lands. While the signing of the Peace Accords in [...]
The Power of Presence: Reflections from 20+ years of accompaniment
La vida es lucha. Life is struggle. For many Guatemalan human rights defenders, activists and community leaders, struggling to defend their rights is a fact of life. Those who bravely stand up against war, political violence, inequality and elite economic interests [...]
The Xalalá Dam: A comprehensive timeline
Since the early 1970s, the construction of the Xalalá Dam has been a recurring priority for the Guatemalan government. Slated for construction in the Ixcán region of north-central Guatemala, the proposed project threatens to destroy not only the livelihoods of [...]
Xalalá Dam: Communities maintain opposition as project moves forward
The Xalalá Dam, declared a renewed national priority under Otto Pérez Molina's administration, is now one step closer to construction. Late last year, the National Electrification Institute (INDE) bypassed the standard bidding procedure and signed a so-called "emergency contract" with Brazilian [...]
A historic verdict shadowed by the past
On May 10, 2013, Efraín Ríos Montt was found guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity and sentenced to 80 years in prison. The conviction is the first in the world to charge an ex-head of state for genocide in [...]
One year after the historic genocide verdict
Ever since the verdict condemning Jose Efraín Ríos Montt to 80 years in prison for genocide and crimes against humanity was overturned on May 20, 2013, retaliation against key individuals and institutions has halted the progress of emblematic court cases, perpetuating impunity and threatening the advancement of justice in Guatemala as a whole.
Exercising rights: Communities Defend Territory
During the past year, conflict around Tahoe Resources' Escobal silver mine has intensified. So, too, has the resistance. Community leaders from San Rafael Las Flores demand that the consultations be respected where communities have voted against resource extraction activities on their lands.
Making strides towards justice: Chipping away at Guatemala’s wall of impunity
The victims committee meet with their lawyer, Edgar Pérez, in Choatalúm. Making strides towards justice: Chipping away at Guatemala's wall of impunity In 2003, members of the community of Choatalúm dared to do [...]