Author Archives

• The Massacre of Rancho Bejuco

  By kevodell on June 8, 2023 • ( 0 )

  David Toro Escobar writes in La Prensa Latina about the trial of nine former members of the Guatemalan army regarding the 1982 massacre of Rancho Bejuco. Of the 25 indigenous Achi Maya peoples killed, 17 were children. Rancho Bejuco, is… Read More ›

• elPeriódico Forced to Close as Ninth Defense Attorney Takes on Zamora Case

  By kevodell on May 31, 2023 • ( 0 )

  Julie López and Roman Gressier write in El Faro about the ongoing attack against anti-corruption actors through the lens of the attack on the news outlet elPeriódico and its founder José Rubén Zamora. It is a cautionary tale but one… Read More ›

• Peaceful Resistance of La Puya expects ICSID ruling in June as consultation process on El Tambor mine set to start this summer

  By kevodell on May 31, 2023 • ( 0 )

  On March 2, 2012, area residents, who had not been consulted about this mine, set up a 24-hour a day blockade at the entrance to the mine site. Within weeks, on May 8, 2012, the women of the Peaceful Resistance… Read More ›

• Four-Year Sentence of Anti-Corruption Leader Deals a Blow to Guatemalan Democracy

  By kevodell on May 31, 2023 • ( 0 )

  Carolina Jiménez Sandoval and Isabel Carlota Roby write in El Faro English about the detention and conviction of Guatemalan public prosecutor Virginia Laparra after she alleged corruption within the judiciary. They describe the misogynistic treatment they received as female visitors… Read More ›

• “With the Death Squad Dossier, I understood that Guatemala is designed for impunity”

  By kevodell on April 20, 2023 • ( 0 )

  “Look, international cooperation is ending….There’s a lack of interest at the political level to force Guatemala to return to the rule of law.” José Luis Sanz, from El Faro, spoke to Miguel Ángel Gálvez, who has been forced into exile… Read More ›

• International legal experts gravely concerned at lack of protections for Indigenous peoples and human rights defenders in Guatemala

  By kevodell on April 20, 2023 • ( 0 )

  Peace Brigades International UK (PBI-UK) accompanied a group of international lawyers to Guatemala concerned at UN and civil society reports regarding human rights violations associated with agrarian conflict in Alta Verapaz. The International Delegation of Independent Lawyers travelled to Alta… Read More ›

• The first trial for the genocide of Indigenous Peoples

  By kevodell on April 1, 2023 • ( 0 )

  We received this note from Pamela Yates and Paco de Onís, of Skylight, relating to the genocide trial of Efraín Ríos Montt in 2013, which may be of interest. We wanted to share it. Dear Friend, Ten years ago, General… Read More ›

• Exclusion of Presidential Candidates Stains June Guatemalan Elections

  By kevodell on April 1, 2023 • ( 0 )

  Inscription for the June national vote closed this weekend. Electoral authorities, toeing the line of far-right political operatives, have spuriously excluded two presidential duos and are aiming for a third, clearing the way for conservative Zury Rios. Roman Gressier and… Read More ›

• José Rubén Zamora’s Trial Judge Expands Probe to Reporters Covering the Case

  By kevodell on April 1, 2023 • ( 0 )

  Roman Gressier and Nelson Rauda, with Julie López, write in El Faro English on the continuing attacks on journalists and the freedom of expression in Guatemala. This is all part of the concerted attack on anti-corruption initiatives being championed by… Read More ›

• Virginia Laparra, a Scapegoat in Guatemalan Prison

  By kevodell on April 1, 2023 • ( 0 )

  Álvaro Montenegro wrote in El Faro English about the situation of Virginia Laparra, a former anti-corruption prosecutor, imprisoned for highlighting corruption in the judicial system. On February 23, prosecutor Virginia Laparra completed one year in prison, held alongside military officers,… Read More ›