GHRC/USA led an Emergency Human Rights Delegation to Guatemala to document the impacts of the democratic backsliding and destruction of rule of law on human rights defenders. The delegation met with, among others, defenders, lawyers, journalists, Indigenous land defenders, and the Human Rights Ombudsman. Key trends they observed included, increased criminalisation of human rights defenders; new patterns of violence against defenders; harassment, intimidation, and defamation; the failure of the State to protect defenders; and the contribution of the State to human rights abuses across Guatemala.
From July 23-30, 2022, GHRC/USA led an Emergency Human Rights Delegation to Guatemala to document the impacts of the democratic backsliding and destruction of rule of law on human rights defenders. As defined by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), a human rights defender is someone “who individually or with others, act[s] to promote or protect human rights in a peaceful manner.” The delegation met with a broad spectrum of defenders, including transitional justice lawyers, journalists, Indigenous land defenders, human rights researchers, accompaniment groups, and the Human Rights Ombudsman.
The group – consisting of human rights experts, workers, and activists from the US – traveled throughout the eastern region of Guatemala and listened to the testimonies of these defenders, all of whom are at risk for their work fighting for human rights in the country. This report summarizes these meetings and includes our findings.
You can read the full report here, Wounds Reopened: The Impacts of Democratic Backsliding on Human Rights in Guatemala.
For more information, you can join GHRC/USA on October 4 at 7 pm EST to watch their delegation documentary and ask questions to the delegates that participated. You can register using this link or email coriewelch@ghrc-usa.org.
Categories: Accompaniment, Corruption, Criminalisation, Environment, Evictions, Gender, Genocide, Guatemala, Human Rights, Impunity, Indigenous peoples, Justice, Land, Military, Mining, Racism, Report, Resource Extraction, Solidarity in Action, Violence
Guatemala Solidarity Network 
Post comments here