Author Archives
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In Guatemala, the rule of law strikes back
The following appeared as an Opinion Piece in the Washington Post yesterday. WHEN HE ran successfully for president of Guatemala two years ago, Jimmy Morales was a political novice, best known as a television comedian playing feeble-minded peasants. It turns… Read More ›
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Jimmy or Iván? How to understand the current crisis in Guatemala
Carolina Gamazo writes a helpful piece in FACTum to give some background to the current crisis in Guatemala. The underlying thing is that Morales wanted to put a stop to attempts to prosecute him for illicit financing. Within hours of… Read More ›
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The Dinosaurs are moving
Yesterday, 26th August 2017, through a recorded message and shared through social media, the President of Guatemala, Jimmy Morales, announced his decision to to expel the head of CICIG (International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala), Iván Velásquez, from the country…. Read More ›
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Indigenous weavers organize for collective intellectual property rights
A woman weaves in Santiago Atitlan, Sololá, Guatemala using a traditional backstrap loom. (WNV/Jeff Abbott) On July 9, Kaqchikel Maya weavers in Guatemala gathered in the town of Santiago Sacatepéquez’s central park to celebrate a small victory in their struggle… Read More ›
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Court Ratifies Historic Sepur Zarco Sexual Violence Judgment
The High Risk Appellate Court upheld the historic Sepur Zarco judgment this week after unanimously rejecting the three appeals presented by the defense counsel of the two military officials convicted last February in the case. The judges read the summary… Read More ›
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The Canadian company mining hills of silver – and the people dying to stop it
As part of a wider collaboration between the Guardian and Global Witness, Nina Lakhani writes about the high cost paid by environmental defenders in Guatemala. ——————————————- Deep underground, buried in the lush hills of southern Guatemala, lies a veritable treasure… Read More ›
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From civil war to civil protest: A director looks back on three decades of filming Guatemala
Over the past 35 years, Pamela Yates, an American filmmaker, has been visiting Guatemala, documenting the often painful sweep of its history, with particular attention to the indigenous Mayan communities. Her first film, “When the Mountains Tremble” (1983), took viewers… Read More ›
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Human Rights violations in Ixquisis end in the murder of Sebastian Alonso Juan
Región de Ixquisis – Foto ACOGUATE This article was published on the website of ACOGUATE in February 2017 and was translated by Lazara Morgan. The murder of Sebastian Alonso Juan took place during a peaceful demonstration on the 17th January… Read More ›
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Rodrigo Tot wins Goldman Environmental Prize for land-title quest
Rodrigo Tot (Goldman Environmental Prize) Rodrigo Tot, an indigenous leader in Guatemala’s Agua Caliente, led his community to a landmark court decision that ordered the government to issue land titles to the Q’eqchi people and kept environmentally destructive nickel mining… Read More ›
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El Oriente
Guatemala’s El Oriente (Eastern land) is a region which has systematically been left aside by the state’s political and economic system. The population’s suffering is visible as they have one of the highest levels of malnutrition in the country. It… Read More ›
