James Rodríguez wrote an article for Latin American Perspectives on El Estor, looking at the history of the mine, including the history of state violence against those that live in the Q’eqchi’ Mayan territory. The violence goes back to at… Read More ›
Indigenous peoples
Women Resisting Violence – Podcast
‘The government wants to erase our children’s memory and I can’t allow it as a mother looking for justice.’ On 8 March 2017, 56 girls were locked in a classroom of their state-run children’s home just outside Guatemala City when… Read More ›
Guatemala: Peaceful resistance to illegal mining under siege
A Joint Statement was released in response to the state of siege and the violence of state actors against the peaceful demonstrations being held in El Estor. Errors in translation are mine. JOINT STATEMENT – THE OBSERVATORY / UDEFEGUA /… Read More ›
New obstruction to historical justice in Guatemala
Mike Phipps writes in Labour Hub about the challenges being faced in the search for justice in the Death Squad Diary (Diario Militar) case. The presiding judge has stated that the defendants have a case to answer but the Attorney… Read More ›
Solidarity And Support For ACOGUATE And CUC
The above statement was released by the Convergence for Human Rights Coalition in response to the criminalisation of human rights organisations ACOGUATE and CUC. The current political and judicial environment is part of an increasingly repressive approach of the Guatemala… Read More ›
GHRC – Human Rights Accompaniment Comes Under Attack
GHRC published the above joint statement with Due Process of Law Foundation, Washington Office on Latin America, and Robert F Kennedy Human Rights Initiative in solidarity with the human rights accompaniment organization ACOGUATE. In recognition of the worsening human rights… Read More ›
Demand That State Cease Excessive Violence
In response to the events at El Estor, the above statement was released jointly, yesterday, by Atlantic Regional Solidarity Network (ARSN), Maritimes-Guatemala Breaking the Silence Network (BTS-RES), Human Rights Defenders Project, Guatemala Human Rights Commission (GHRC), Guatemalanetz Bern, Protection International… Read More ›
Violence Against Q’eqchi’ Community In El Estor
The above statement was released by UDEFEGUA in response to the violence carried out by state forces against the Q’eqchi’ population in El Estor protesting against the open-pit Fénix nickel mine owned by Compañía Guatemalteca de Níquel (CGN). My translation… Read More ›
“We weren’t dreaming of a coffin… now our family is just trying to survive”
Daniela Rea wrote in Pie De Página about the murder of 19 year old Santa Cristina García Pérez and eighteen others, for which Mexican state police officers have been accused by the State Attorney General. There tends to be plenty… Read More ›
Guatemala’s growing palm oil industry fuels Indigenous land fight
Sandra Cuffe writes in Al Jazeera about the ongoing land struggles in Guatemala primarily focusing on palm oil production, its destructive legacies, and Indigenous resistance. Anibal Agurtia blows into the conch shell tied to a red string around his hand,… Read More ›
Guatemala Solidarity Network 