Author Archives

• #ParoPlurinacional: National Strike in Guatemala

  By kevodell on August 19, 2021 • ( 0 )

  Andrea Ixchíu Hernández, a Maya K’iche’ woman, journalist, land protector, and human rights activist, recently spoke to Gio B’atz’, on the Red Nation podcast, about the demands of Indigenous communities such as calls for a plurinational government, among other topics…. Read More ›

• A Blend of Family and Politics in Guatemala’s Cocaine Trade

  By kevodell on August 17, 2021 • ( 0 )

  Alex Papadovassilakis writes in InSight Crime about the nexus of family, politics and criminal activity that occurs in some of Guatemala’s more isolated regions. This, against a backdrop of the criminalisation of human rights defenders and the facilitation of top-level… Read More ›

• Survivors of Guatemalan mudslide face death or emigration

  By kevodell on August 12, 2021 • ( 0 )

  Alberto Arce and Rodrigo Abd present a moving piece of photoreportage on AP, telling of the ongoing struggles of the population of Quejá, in Alto Verapaz, after hurricane Eta struck in November last year. The day before he left for… Read More ›

• Children’s home fire: ‘The souls of our daughters are still there’

  By kevodell on August 11, 2021 • ( 0 )

  Mira Galanova writes, on the BBC, about the fire that took place in the care home, Hogar Seguro Virgen de la Asunción, on March 8th 2017, and the stories of those left behind. There were 41 deaths of young women… Read More ›

• Guatemala is key to Biden’s migrant policy. Its corruption is worsening.

  By kevodell on August 11, 2021 • ( 0 )

  Sabrina Rodríguez and Eugene Daniels write in Politico about the challenges facing U.S. policy on anti-corruption in Guatemala, while also prioritising migration from Central America more broadly. When Vice President Kamala Harris visited Guatemala in June, she delivered a clear… Read More ›

• Delia’s Return

  By kevodell on August 9, 2021 • ( 0 )

  On American Anthropologist, Lauren Heidbrink, her daughter Gabriela Afable, and Delia (not her real name), present a multimodal representation chronicling the detention and deportation of Delia, an Indigenous youth from San Marcos, who migrated to the United States. Delia’s experiences… Read More ›

• Guatemala fires its top corruption prosecutor for being too effective

  By kevodell on August 7, 2021 • ( 0 )

  “That President Giammattei would confront the United States to protect major corruption targets says it all.” Stephen McFarland writes in Plaza Pública on the troubling direction facing Guatemala. The wilful moves of the governing elites to repudiate U.S. government’s support… Read More ›

• Is this Guatemala’s Plurinational Moment?

  By kevodell on August 5, 2021 • ( 0 )

  Tim May writes in New Socialist about the recent demonstrations in Guatemala, including the recent Paro nacional and places the moment within a period of increasing grass-roots mobilisation. Indigenous authorities are increasingly finding their voice within national politics but still… Read More ›

• Despite Protests, Guatemala’s President May Be Stronger than Ever

  By kevodell on August 5, 2021 • ( 0 )

  Brendan O’Boyle writes in Americas Quarterly on how President Giammattei is, so far, able to hold off calls for resignation despite his attacks on the independence of the judiciary and his government’s catastrophic and grossly negligent response to the pandemic…. Read More ›

• Guatemala Tries to Repeat the 2015 Uprising against Corruption

  By kevodell on August 5, 2021 • ( 0 )

  Roman Gressier writes in El Faro about the national strike, called last week, in response to the sacking of Juan Francisco Sandoval. The paro nacional also confronted the government response to the pandemic, as well as rampant corruption. The national… Read More ›