Es de vital importancia informarles a los pueblos en todo el mundo, que este 25 de Julio, la ADH conmemoró 15 años de lucha y resistencia en defensa del territorio y los bienes comunes. En el caminar de los años, l@s miembros de la ADH hemos pasado por amenazas, [...]
Statement regarding the “consternation” that the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the World Bank expressed regarding the report of the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO), related to the complaint presented on July 1, 2015 by the People’s Assembly of the Department of Huehuetenango for the defense of Natural Resources and [...]
De manera urgente, La Asamblea Departamental de los Pueblos de Huehuetenango ADH, nos hemos declarado en sesión permanente; analizando la situación preocupante de la Comunidad de Triunfo de Champerico Retalhuleu. En este momento la comunidad está bajo atropellos, amenazas de Energuate y luego coordinado con las fuerzas represivas del [...]
WE EXPRESS: We, the indigenous authorities, the ancestral cocodes authorities, women’s committees from the different indigenous communities of Ixcan, Cobán and Uspantan that compose the Association of Communities for Development and the Defense of Land and Natural Resources – ACODET- assembled today in the Q’eqchi Xalala indigenous community [...]
Lea este comunicado que nuestres compañeres de La Asamblea Departamental de Pueblos de Huehuetenango (ADH) han escrito en el marco de la conmemoración del día mundial del agua. ¡El agua genera vida! ¡El agua es un ser vivo! Agua: Elemento fundamental para la subsistencia. En la [...]
[Christina Reyes, NISGUA Internacionalista, wrote and sent this letter in early January 2020. It now includes modifications they made in early March 2020 for International Women’s Day] Hello loved ones, I hope this message reaches y'all in a time and space where the world isn't weighing so heavily on [...]
Una represa ya baja construcción es visible desde el otro lado del río en Ixquisis, a pesar de la resistencia permanente de las comunidades ante la imposición de megaproyectos en sus territorios.
Dams already under construction in Ixquisis are visible from the river bank despite the communities' ongoing resistance against the imposition of mega-projects in their territories. Note of clarification: We reject all attempts to link us to supposed criminal acts On February 29, 2020, certain corporate communications media, [...]
This March 23-30, NISGUA is partnering with New Mexico State University to host a week-long exchange between Indigenous undergraduate students and Mayan environmental defenders. Ten NMSU students will visit with NISGUA partners in the Chixoy and Copón Rivers watershed to learn about their grassroots organizing model that builds community-level [...]
Community members in Ixquisis gather. Photo credit: Nomada On March 4, 2019, the Ancestral Plurinational Government of the Akateo, Chuj, Popti, and Q'anjob'al Original Nations released a statement expressing their outrage regarding a recent violent incident. The violence was committed against Plurinational Government delegate, Julio Gómez, [...]
News recap: Organizations demand justice in wake of assassinations and ongoing violence in Ixquisis, TAKE ACTION to stand with communities working to protect community consultations, NISGUA Speaking Tour shares lessons from successful organizing in Chixoy-Copón Rivers Watershed, KCA sues Guatemalan State in international court, survivors of sexual violence in Military Zone [...]
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 [...]
Jakelin Ameí Rosmery Caal Maquin died on December 6 of septic shock, fever, and dehydration while in US Border Patrol custody. Artist credit: Ruben Guadalupe Marquez Like many of you, we have spent this week reeling with pain from the murder of seven-year-old Jakelin Ameí Rosmery [...]
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 [...]
En este boletín el equipo de ACOGUATE hace un análisis histórico del caso Las Dos Erres y da actualizaciones sobre un caso por violencia sexual, el estatus de defensorxs criminalizadxs en Huehuetenango y la lucha del pueblo Ch’orti’ de Morola. ¡Haz clic en la foto abajo para leer más! [...]
On July 12, 2018, Guatemalan activist Ángel Estuardo Quevedo, a member of the Peaceful Resistance in Casillas which demands the permanent closure of the Escobal silver mine, was murdered while traveling in the municipality of Santa Rosa de Lima. The murder of Quevedo is the latest in a wave [...]
En este boletín el equipo de ACOGUATE da actualizaciones sobre las luchas de la resistencia pacífica en Ixquisis, FAMDEGUA y CONAVIGUA. También cuenta sobre la visita de la relatora especial de las Naciones Unidas sobre los Derechos de los Pueblos Indígenas en Guatemala. ¡Haz clic en la foto abajo [...]
Community members demand justice for the murder of 16-year old environmental activist, Topacio Reynoso, outside of the Guatemalan Public Prosecutor's Office in 2014 On March 26, Guatemalan and international human rights organizations called on the Guatemalan state to restore the life-saving security measures for the Reynoso Pacheco [...]
Comunitarios y comunitarias exigen justicia por el asesinato de la defensora del medio ambiente de 16-años, Topacio Reynoso, frente al Ministerio Publico en el 2014. El 26 de marzo organizaciones guatemaltecas e internacionales de derechos humanos exigieron al estado de Guatemala restaurar las medidas de seguridad de [...]
In the face of the ongoing threat by mega-development projects and extractive industries to indigenous and campesino peoples' natural resources, and in particular to their water sources, the Departmental Assembly of the Peoples of Huehuetenango (ADH) held a day-long meeting to discuss strategies for their protection. The ADH, a [...]
"We oppose any desecration of our sacred site. Our sacred sites are not for sale. We will not allow our ancestors to be disturbed. This sacred site represents more than 5,000 years of our history and it also currently represents our living culture. We will not permit the desecration of a site [...]
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 [...]
[español abajo] An online presentation from our annual speaking tour, "Guatemalan Youth in Defense of Land and Life"! Who is JODVID? Youth Organized in Defense of Life (JODVID, in Spanish) is a Guatemalan environmental justice collective that uses the arts and popular education to mobilize youth in local and regional [...]
News recap: Solidarity in the streets; U.S. Speaking Tour, "Guatemalan Youth in Defense of Land and Life," kicks off on October 9th; Thousands call for resignation of Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales and Congressional representatives; Grieving the loss of Ixil genocide survivor Jacinto de Paz, witness in the trial against Ríos [...]
[En español aquí] A week ahead of the launch of our 2017 speaking tour, “Guatemalan Youth in Defense of Land and Life,” NISGUA sat down with the invited organization to learn more about the young activists who form part of the environmental justice organization, JODVID – Youth Organized Youth in [...]
In the early morning of July 21, the Guatemalan National Civil Police (PNC) carried out a second violent attack on the peaceful encampment in Casillas, where community members have expressed their resolute opposition to the presence of Tahoe Resources’ Escobal silver mine. Since June 7, community members from six municipalities [...]
The following article was co-written by MiningWatch Canada and the Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA). Following the suspension of two of Tahoe Resources’ mine licenses in Guatemala on July 5, Tahoe Resources’ suppliers, workers and the Guatemalan Industrial Association have engaged in a smear campaign [...]
This fall, we’re excited to welcome Alex Escobar Prado as the featured speaker for this year's tour, "Guatemalan Youth in Defense of Land and Life!" Alex is an activist, educator, and a member of the Guatemalan environmental justice organization Youth Organized in Defense of Life (JODVID). Born out of the [...]
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 [...]
Over the last several decades, transnational resource extraction companies have flocked to Central America. Licenses to construct hydroelectric dams, exploit minerals, or build the necessary infrastructure to make these types of projects possible are being granted by national governments in the region at an alarming rate. With little transparency, [...]
Press release May 17, 2017 (Guatemala/Oakland, CA/Tatamagouche, NS) -- On Wednesday, a letter was delivered to the Public Prosecutor’s office in Guatemala on behalf of more than 2,900 people requesting an immediate and thorough investigation into the murder of 16-year-old Topacio Reynoso Pacheco and the attacks against her father, Alex [...]
Photo credit: Roderico Díaz. News recap: Honoring the life of Miguel Ramírez Matóm, witness in the Ixil genocide trial; Take action: Denounce impunity for attacks against environmental defenders; Communities in the Ixcán commemorate 10 years since the referendum that said ‘no’ to resource extraction; Announcing our fall tour: "Guatemala youth in defense of [...]
On March 2, 2016, Berta Cáceres was assassinated in an attempt to silence her voice, bring an end her important leadership and destroy the political project and struggle of a people acting in defence of their territory. The aim was not only to do away with her, but the organization [...]
On January 17, 2017, community members from the Ixquisis region, located in northern Huehuetenango, held a demonstration against the construction of three hydroelectric projects by the company Promoción y Desarrollos Hídricos, Sociedad Anónima (PDH, SA). That afternoon, representatives of the National Civil Police, PDH S.A.'s private security, and forest rangers, all armed, [...]
Today NISGUA, along with other environmental and social justice organizations from the Unites States and Canada, sent a letter to Guatemalan Attorney General and the Minister of the Interior asking that necessary actions be taken to guarantee the safety of the staff for the Guatemalan Center for Legal, Environmental and Social [...]
Jimmy Morales Cabrera, President of the Republic of Guatemala, Thelma Aldana, Attorney General and Head of the Public Prosecutor's Office Carlos Moran, Secretary for Agrarian Affairs - SAA Mario Estuardo Mendez Cobar, Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Food - MAGA Francisco Rivas Lara, Minister of the Interior General Manager, [...]
Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) – Maritimes-Guatemala Breaking the Silence Network (BTS) – MiningWatch Canada – Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA) – Projet Accompagnement Québec Guatemala (PAQG) (Guatemala/Ottawa/Washington/Tatamagouche) Fifty-five international organizations are calling for an investigation into the second armed attack in as many years [...]
On Saturday, October 17, armed assailants shot at six people in Mataquescuintla, Jalapa, Guatemala, where communities have organized in peaceful resistance to Tahoe Resources’ Escobal mine project. Among those injured was Alex Reynoso, an environmental defender and member of the Mataquescuintla mining resistance movement in southeastern Guatemala. Alex remains [...]
(Ottawa/Toronto) A sixteen year old Guatemalan girl, Topacio Reynoso, was murdered on April 13, 2014 near her home town of Mataquescuintla, Guatemala where she was head of a youth movement against mining. Her father, a leader in organizing a municipal vote on the mine, was shot in the same [...]