In February, 2020, President Giammattei signed into law Decree 4-2020, formerly known as Bill 5257, but it was stalled by the former Constitutional Court (CC) due to a series of lawsuits that considered this law to be unconstitutional. On May 13, the CC definitively denied the injunctions against this [...]
Fabiola García and Miriam Pixtun from CALDH during the live-streamed presentation of the virtual exhibition. Photo credit: CALDH //Fabiola García y Miriam Pixtun de CALDH durante la presentación en vivo de la exposición virtual de la Casa de la Memoria Kaji Tulam. Foto por: CALDH [...]
As I write these lines, I can’t help but think that just a year ago, on March 15, 2020, the first COVID-19 death was reported in Guatemala. On March 17, the state closed the borders and imposed a stage of siege. One month later, on April 23, I closed [...]
During the February 25 commemoration, social organizations placed a poster with national symbols, covered by pictures of the disappeared and victims of the Internal Armed Conflict, outside the Congress. Photo credit: Edith López Ovalle Dear friends and comrades: We are already walking [...]
On November 10, the Guatemala Supreme Court elected Roberto Molina Barreto to the Constitutional Court (CC), replacing Judge Bonerge Mejía, who died of COVID-19 in September. In 2013, when Molina Barreto was also serving on the CC, he voted to overturn Ríos Montt's genocide conviction. Years later, in December [...]
Aleisar Arana, President of the Xinka Parliament, speaking at the meeting with the MEM. Photo credit: Xinka Parliament // Aleisar Arana, Presidente del Parlamento Xinka, hablando durante la reunión con el MEM. Credito de la foto: Parlamento Xinka READ OUR SOLIDARITY UPDATE HERE // LEA NUESTRO BOLETIN [...]
[English below] The Constitutional Court is the highest body of defense for the Political Constitution of the Republic. (Photo: La Asamblea Departamental de Pueblos de Huehuetenango- ADH) Alta Corte de Justicia de Guatemala Las instituciones internacionales de derechos humanos firmantes expresamos nuestra profunda preocupación ante una [...]
Representatives of the Xinka Parliament speak with the press following their press conference on December 18. PRESS RELEASE THE MINISTRIES OF ENERGY AND MINES AND OF ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES HAVE FAILED TO EXECUTE THE CONSULTATION OF THE XINKA PEOPLE REGARDING THE ESCOBAL MINE It has [...]
The march begins to form outside of the Supreme Court of Justice. A sign reminds of the negative impact that the mine has on the local watershed. One year after the historic Constitutional Court (CC) decision that suspended the [...]
For a downloadable version of this media advisory, click here. For nearly a year and a half, Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales has repeatedly defied the rule of law by attacking the UN-backed International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG). On January 7, Morales announced that his administration would [...]
Jimmy Morales holds a press conference to announce unilateral cancellation of CICIG agreement. Photo credit: Moises Castillo/Associated Press The Jimmy Morales administration has brought Guatemala to a technical coup, as it ramps up its attack against the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), in [...]
For nearly a year and a half, the Jimmy Morales administration has repeatedly defied the rule of law in its attacks on the UN-backed International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG).The situation reached another climax when CICIG researcher, Yilen Osorio, was detained and denied entry to the country at the [...]
On November 11, 2018, six years after the municipality of Mataquescuintla voted “NO” in a referendum on mining, thousands of community members marched to uphold the results and re-affirm their resistance. The 2012 referendum, which saw 98.42% of participants reject mining, is one of several that have taken place [...]
En este boletín el equipo de ACOGUATE subraya varios desarrollos en casos jurídicos de alto perfil, incluyendo el caso por genocidio, el caso de Las Dos Erres y el caso de la Mina San Rafael. También explica unos puntos en la coyuntura de Quiché y Ixquisis. ¡Haz clic en [...]
News recap: Court affirms that the state enacted genocide, but finds Rodríguez Sánchez not guilty in a split decision; Constitutional Court upholds temporary suspension of Escoal mine and calls on the State to consult impacted Xinka communities. This and more in this month's solidarity update. [...]
Featured photo credit: La Hora GT For weeks, Guatemala has made international headlines after President Jimmy Morales announced his government will not renew the mandate for the UN-backed International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), an independent anti-corruption body that has had significant impact in the country since [...]
Yesterday, 54 organizations from Guatemala, Latin America, United States, Canada and Europe delivered a letter to the U.S. ambassador to Guatemala, Luis Arreaga. The organizations expressed their concern regarding the U.S. government's intervention in the case against Tahoe Resources' Escobal silver mine, a project associated with numerous and well-documented [...]
Thousands gather in front of the Constitutional Court in Guatemala City, demanding the closure of Tahoe Resources' Escobal mine and the respect for the self-determination of the Xinca People. On Monday April 9, thousands took to the streets in Guatemala City as part of the "March for [...]
Today, plaintiff organizations went to Guatemala’s Constitutional Court to ask that the Court include testimonies from 35 key witnesses in the Military Zone 21 case – the largest case of forced disappearance to date in Latin America’s history. The plaintiff organizations and public prosecutor claim that during the [...]
News recap: We're ready for 2018 with a new cohort of GAP volunteers; NISGUA Local: Building connections between global movements to defend life and territory; Members of the AJR denounce ongoing racism as they continue their search for justice for genocide; plaintiff organizations to take Military Zone 21 case [...]
This week, NISGUA received a delegation from the Chicago Religious Leadership Network on Latin America (CRLN) in our Guatemala City office. NISGUA relies on a strong network of individuals and organizations, like CRLN, fighting in the global struggle for social justice and respect for the earth. We work in [...]
News recap: Needham Congregational Church celebrates 30 years of U.S.-Guatemala solidarity; As Ríos Montt and Rodríguez Sánchez are retried, witnesses and survivors reaffirm 2013 genocide sentence; NISGUA report highlights grassroots strategies to preserve historical memory in Guatemala; Nobel Women’s Initiative speaks out in support of community resistance to Tahoe [...]
Members of the Peaceful Resistance Camp in Casillas have created a second camp in front of the Guatemalan Constitutional Court. They arrived one week ago and will remain until court justices make a decision on the permanent closure of Tahoe Resources' Escobal mine. The Peaceful [...]
On August 27, Guatemalan President, Jimmy Morales, declared Iván Velásquez, head of the UN anti-impunity commission, the CICIG, "persona non grata" in Guatemala and requested his immediate expulsion. This decision came on the heels of a request by the CICIG and the Guatemalan public prosecutor’s office to strip Morales [...]
Guatemala plunged into a political crisis this month as President Jimmy Morales attempted to circumvent a criminal investigation into his campaign finances by declaring the head of the UN-sponsored Commision (CICIG) persona non grata, a decision that sparked widespread public outcry. A second wave of outrage followed over legislation [...]
News recap: Motions filed against former Constitutional Court judges for breach of duty in overturning the genocide verdict; Ríos Montt to stand trial for genocide for his role in the Dos Erres massacre; Accompanier perspective: "As You Come Home: Immigration, Reunion, and the Continuity of Power"; Thousands respond to action [...]
International Organizations Reiterate Support for Guatemalan Communities and Institutions Upholding Rule of Law and Respect for Human Rights in the case of the communities of La Puya and El Tambor Mine The undersigned human rights and environmental law organizations applaud recent efforts by Guatemalan courts to enforce domestic laws and international [...]
Posted on February 28, 2015 by ACOGUATE Translation by NISGUA On November 7, 2013, the National Electrification Institute (Instituto Nacional de Electrificación, INDE) signed an Emergency Purchase contract with the Brazilian company Intertechne Consultores, S.A. to conduct the geotechnical, seismic, geological and geophysical feasibility studies for the Xalalá dam, [...]
“The thousands and thousands of victims will never abandon this struggle. We have to see it through. There are multitudes of victims by my side demanding that I speak out for justice and so I am going to speak out. In no moment will this [struggle] be abandoned. We have [...]
In an historic resolution, a Guatemalan Appeals Court ruled last week that the government must take into account the right to free, prior and informed consent when granting mining licenses on the lands of indigenous communities. The ruling came in response to a legal action presented by the Sipakapense [...]
This morning, the Constitutional Court (CC), Guatemala’s highest court, will hear arguments regarding the April 2013 decision by Judge Carol Patricia Flores to set the genocide case back to a pre-trial phase. The mid-trial ruling cited technical errors in the judicial process and stated that the case should return [...]
Guatemalan Attorney General Claudia Paz y Paz Photo: Ministerio Público Last week Guatemala's Constitutional Court (CC) emitted a provisional ruling stating that Attorney General Claudia Paz y Paz should end her term in May 2014, seven months before schedule. Friday, the CC dismissed an appeal by Paz y Paz [...]
On November 5, almost six months since the highly contested decision by Guatemala's Constitutional Court (CC) to annul the genocide sentence, Guatemalan courts announced a date for the retrial of former General Ríos Montt. Guatemala's High Risks Court “B” affirmed that it has the jurisdiction to hear the case but said [...]
While community opposition to Tahoe Resources’ Escobal project grows and wins support from the Constitutional Court, the company remains on the defense trying to convince investors that it enjoys “strong local community support.” However, the record of local votes in neighboring communities and municipalities, betrays a different reality. More [...]
Guatemalan newspaper Prensa Libre splashed "CC brings José Efraín Ríos Montt closer to amnesty" across its front page headlines, with the corresponding article publishing excerpts of a leaked ruling issued by the Constitutional Court. Plaintiffs and lawyers still have not received notification of the decision at the time of [...]