The International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), humans rights organisations, and members of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and the United Nations took part in a panel discussion last month (May 27) to discuss the issue of children and violence in… Read More ›
Guatemala
Appeals Court Upholds Suspension of Ríos Montt Genocide Trial
“The retrial trial against former head of state General José Efraín Ríos Montt and his former chief of intelligence (“G2”) General Mauricio Rodríguez Sánchez on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity against the Maya Ixil population has been definitively… Read More ›
Former HudBay Mineral’s Head of Security Accused of Murder Gets Protection Detail
Rights Action, a Washington-based Human Rights NGO, has reported that last Thursday (May 18) a Guatemalan judge ruled that Hudbay Mineral’s former head of security, Mynor Padilla, will be provided with police protection. Padilla stands accused of murdering Adolfo Ich,… Read More ›
Guatemalan Environmental Defenders on the Front Line of a Global Struggle
Last month the killing of Honduran activist and winner of the 2015 Goldman Environmental Prize Berta Cáceres caused international outcry. Her highly publicised murder has called global attention to the many risks front line environmental defenders face every day, not only… Read More ›
When we were Young / There was a War
The website, “When we were Young / There was a War”, is an immersive bilingual documentary website that enlightens and engages viewers as they learn about the armed conflicts and their aftermaths in Guatemala and El Salvador. It includes poignant… Read More ›
Justice Comes Slowly for Guatemala’s Maya Achí
In 1982, over 400 Maya Achí men, women, and children were murdered for opposing a hydroelectric dam under construction on the Chixoy River. The next year, the completed Chixoy dam flooded more than 30 Maya Achí communities. In 2014, the… Read More ›
International Women’s Day – the struggle goes on
For International Women’s Day, Plaza Pública had a short photo-piece from Simone Dalmasso which had some lovely photos. You can view them here.
Killing of Guatemalan activist in the Maya Biosphere Reserve raises alarm
Walter Manfredo Méndez Barrios. Photo courtesy of Defensores de la Naturaleza (Mongabay website) The violent death of an environmental activist and community leader in northern Guatemala two days ago has sparked consternation and concern among communities and organizations working in… Read More ›
Amatitlán and the ‘Magic Solution’ of salty water
A Guatemalan court has ordered that the former vice president, Roxanna Baldetti, be investigated for alleged corruption linked to the “magic solution” which she promised would clean up a polluted lake. The mysterious chemical, bought for millions of dollars from… Read More ›
‘La Puyita’ – La Puya goes to the Capital
“La Puyita” -‘Sorry for the inconvenience, we are fighting for the water of this and future generations – no to mining…’ The Comunidades en Resistencia at La Puya, have recently opened up a second point of resistance by taking their… Read More ›