On Friday, April 19, the genocide trial of Rios Montt former dictator and Mauricio Rodgriquez Sanchez former head of military intelligence was suspended following the unexpected ruling of Judge Carol Patricia Flores on Thursday, annulling the proceedings. Judge Flores, who… Read More ›
Human Rights
String of Killings Leaves Five Guatemalan Activists Dead
“While Guatemala attempts to bring former dictator Efraín Ríos Montt to justice in a landmark genocide trial, deadly violence elsewhere in the country continues unpunished. In less than one month, five activists and human right defenders struggling against mining companies… Read More ›
We want Pencils, not Weapons: San Juan Sacatepéquez rejects new Military Brigade
“During the annual June 30th observance of Guatemalan Armed Forces Day, thousands of people marched in San Juan Sacatepéquez from their rural communities to the central square in rejection to the newly assigned military brigade in the municipality. Locals were… Read More ›
Death Threats in Guatemala: The Dangers of Justice-Seeking
“Guatemala is a land of tremendous contrasts; a place of incredible beauty, wonderful people and heart-stopping terror. Our final evening on a recent Skylight Pictures visit to this “land of eternal spring” starts simply enough, but by the end of… Read More ›
Survivors give testimony of the massacres of 1982 and 1983
"Two survivors are among the witnesses in the trial of Héctor Mario López Fuentes, former Army Chief of Staff of the Defense, in the period of 1982 to 1983. The Human Rights Prosecutor accuses the former head of the Army… Read More ›
Guatemala forfeits spending on health infrastructure
“The decision to lower royalties from six percent to one percent meant that Guatemala forfeited more than US$28m in three years. In 2006, the fiscal cost of this tax incentive to one mining company exceeded Guatemala’s total spending on health… Read More ›
A question of disappearance
It is rare that Guatemala gets any attention in the chambers of Westminster, so I was pleased to see that a parliamentary question has been asked about it recently. During the fourteenth session of the UN Human Rights Council a… Read More ›
A public-private stitch-up
I came across this interesting piece by Jorge Murga Armas on the always useful albedrío website (I especially acknowledge the power of its ‘mouse-over’ image). Las Tramas de las ‘alianzas público-privadas’ could be translated as The Intrigues of ‘public-private alliances’… Read More ›
Massacre remembered – current struggles in mind?
Exactly 32 years ago today a massacre took place in the small town of Panzos, in Alta Verapaz. A group of campesinos had gathered in the town square to protest about the depredations of local landowners, among them the town’s… Read More ›
Norma Cruz threatened again
Norma Cruz is a woman with a very serious commitment to justice, a commitment which has led to her being threatend on many occasions. Her particular area of interest is women, and ensuring that they and their families can achieve… Read More ›
Guatemala Solidarity Network 