News was recently released that Alberto Rotondo, Tahoe Resources’ former security manager, had escaped police custody. Rotondo is accused of having ordered private security guards to attack peaceful protestors outside the Escobal mine in southeastern Guatemala on April 27, 2013,… Read More ›
Environment
US Congress To Guatemalan President: Halt Illegal Mining Operations at La Puya
On October 26, 2015, 12 members of the US Congress sent a letter to Guatemalan President Alejandro Maldonado Aguirre to raise concerns about abuses related to the El Tambor gold mine in San Pedro Ayampuc, Guatemala. The letter calls on… Read More ›
Indigenous peoples’ rights and hydro-electric projects in Guatemala: The case of the Ch’orti’ in Chiquimula
We were born here, We did not come here Aquí hemos nacido, no hemos venido Machiwar kayopá temeyum Iranon kuxpon tará The indigenous Maya Ch’orti’ community in Chiquimula, Guatemala, is in conflict with the companies Las TresNiñas and Jonbo which… Read More ›
‘La Puya’ – an example of the defense of territory
Since 2012, the inhabitants of San José del Golfo and San Pedro Ayampuc in Guatemala have organised themselves to defend their land through ‘La Puya’– a non-violent resistance movement, from where a strong network was created in order to stop… Read More ›
Guatemalan activist murdered after court suspends palm oil company operations
A palm oil company remains at the heart of conflict in northern Guatemala, months after a mass fish die-off. A day after company operations were suspended pending further investigation into the incident, three community leaders were abducted and threatened by… Read More ›
Indigenous activist murdered after exposing palm oil ‘ecocide’
On 18 September 2015, one day after the Reforestadora Palma de Petén S.A. (REPSA) palm oil factory was ordered closed for its contamination of the Pasíon River, an indigenous activist, Rigoberto Lima Choc, 28, was murdered outside a courthouse in… Read More ›
La Puya – Intimidation and Resistance
A great piece on La Puya was posted on the website for El Eco del Dolor de Mucha Gente, which we have featured here previously. It really is a fine resource. There some fine photographs here and the whole piece… Read More ›
CAFTA’s Decade of Empty Promises Failed Guatemala and Haunts the TPP
In the UK and the European Union, social justice campaigners are fighting the secret trade deal being negotiated between the EU and the US – this deal is known as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). It is a… Read More ›
Victory for La Puya
The ‘Comunidad en Resistencia‘ of La Puya achieved a notable victory in a Guatemalan appeals court when it ruled in favor of the right of the residents to be consulted about those projects that affect them and ordered the suspension… Read More ›
Palm Oil Industry Tied to Ecocide in Guatemalan River
Jeff Abbott talks about ‘ecocide’ in the Peten, due to palm oil plantations. The Pasión River in northern Guatemala is a disaster area. Beginning on June 6, residents along the river in the municipality of Sayaxché, Peten, began to find… Read More ›