U.S.-sponsored militarization and neoliberal policies will not lead to structural changes in Guatemala and instead preserve the status quo that forces many to migrate. Gio B’atz’ (Giovanni Batz) writes in the NACLA website about poverty, oppression, and displacement as everyday… Read More ›
Indigenous peoples
Guatemala, a high-risk country for environmental defenders, has not ratified the Escazú Agreement
Regina Pérez writes in Prensa Comunitaria about the Escazú Agreement and what it means for environment and land defenders, who continue to face serious threats in their daly lives. In Guatemala, according to Front Line Defenders (FLD), 15 human rights… Read More ›
Traditional Guatemalan elites must change now. Here is where to start.
“Let’s suppose we were willing to meet with them [indigenous leaders and communities],” he said, “how would we even know where to find them?” Anita Isaacs writes a thoughtful and interesting piece in Plaza Pública about five traits of the… Read More ›
Guatemalan Congress refuses to appoint graft-fighting top judge
“We are deeply concerned by today’s maneuver to delay the swearing in of a selected constitutional court magistrate. This undermines Guatemala’s commitment to an independent judiciary and addressing systemic corruption,” Acting Assistant Secretary for U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of… Read More ›
Lolita Chávez: ‘We have the right to live in a territory that for us is sacred’
Barbara Fraser presents, in EarthBeat, an interview with Lolita Chavez, who is to receive the annual Romero Human Rights Award, named for St. Óscar Romero. The award was established by the University of Dayton Ohio, in the United States, in… Read More ›
US and Canadian Organizations Alarmed Over Illegal Mining
A blog post on MiningWatch Canada links to a letter sent to the CEO of Goldex Resources about illegal mining in Guatemala. Seven organizations, including MiningWatch Canada, sent a letter to the President & CEO and Director of Goldex Resources… Read More ›
Podcast: The Search for the Disappeared in Guatemala
‘Memory Cultures in Dialogue’ is a podcast and blog of the Humanitarian Law Center from Belgrade, Serbia. They recently featured The Guatemalan Forensic Anthropology Foundation (FAFG) in an episode. What is the role of forensic anthropology in the post-conflict context?… Read More ›
Ex-PAC members accused of sexual violence against Achi women will face justice in 2022
Lourdes Álvarez Nájera has written in Prensa Comunitaria about the legal moves to bring ex-PAC members to court for crimes of sexual violence during the early 1980s. In January of next year, the trial will begin against three former members… Read More ›
Dianna Ortiz Memorial
The Guatemala Human Rights Commission (GHRC) posted a Memorial page to Dianna Ortiz, OSU, who died on February 19, 2021, at 62 years old. She fought for the rights of all and fought bravely. Dianna worked at the Guatemala Human… Read More ›
Interview with wrongfully imprisoned Maya Q’eqchi river defender Bernardo Caal Xol
Peace Brigades International-Guatemala Project posted a video of its Acércate (‘come closer’) interview with Maya Q’eqchi river defender Bernardo Caal Xol in prison in Cobán, Alta Verapaz. Caal Xol is a leader of the Peaceful Resistance of Cahabón, a collective… Read More ›