Author Archives
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‘Hudbay Minerals: Confronting a Corporate Criminal’
The scene was absurd: four activists, each with a bundle of 75 black and gold helium-filled balloons, riding an escalator. As we reached the top, we clipped our banner to the bundles and let go, watching our work rise slowly… Read More ›
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Two years at ‘La Puya’ protecting land and community
In February of 2012, residents of San José del Golfo and San Pedro Ayampuc (La Puya), north of Guatemala City, were struggling to obtain information about a reported mining project in their communities, which would affect hundreds of families. Months… Read More ›
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Guatemala’s pioneering Attorney General being pushed out early
The Guatemala Attorney General Claudia Paz y Paz has stated that, ‘those who have been affected by the advancement of justice are in a hurry for me to leave office’. This was in response to the news that the Guatemala… Read More ›
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Guatemala justice update – January 2014
“When trial judges in Guatemala convicted their own former head of state, Efrain Rios Montt, of genocide last May—a worldwide first—the rule of law set down roots in a country renowned for impunity. Subsequent events have shown how fragile those… Read More ›
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Brief Review of 2013
Situation of Human rights defenders The context in Guatemala in 2013 continued being hazardous for human rights’ defenders where, up to October, there were 18 assassinations of human rights defenders and 608 attacks against them, which is almost double the… Read More ›
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2013: A democratic setback in Guatemala
“Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina was recently named The Latin Trade’s Leader of the Year for 2013 in recognition “for reshaping Guatemala’s foreign trade and investment outlook, effectively implementing changes to position the country as an attractive destination for investment… Read More ›
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Link Between Land Grabs and Sexual Violence Against Q´eqchí Women
Luz Mendez has posted an article on the Americas Program website describing links between land grabs and sexual violence against Maya Q’eqchí women. Relating the stories of two groups of women, who have filed claims in the courts, Mendez links… Read More ›
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Wartime victims exhumed from military base return to Pambach
In the Pocomchi’ Mayan hamlet of Pambach, some 38 km from Cobán, residents gather at a local church to welcome the remains of Baldomero Chiquin (disappeared at the age of 16 with his 21-year-old brother Pedro Chiquin), Alberto Batz (disappeared… Read More ›
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Judging a Dictator: The Trial of Guatemala’s Rios Montt
The Open Society Justice Initiative has just published a summary of the six week trial of Efrain Rios Montt based on the daily monitoring reports from this website. The 56-page book, Judging a Dictator: The Trial of Guatemala’s Rios Montt,… Read More ›
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La Puya – Employees of EXMINGUA-KCA plead guilty to threats against journalists
Guatemala Human Rights Commission (GHRC) reports that Juan José Reyes Carrera y retired Guatemalan Army Lt., Pablo Silas Orozco Cifuentes, were sentenced to two years in prison for “threats and coercion” against independent journalists reporting on local resistance to a… Read More ›
Guatemala Solidarity Network 