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 ›
Human Rights
A Message from Pedro Sicá, Human Rights Defender
“For us, nature is a central part of life. The plants, the corn, the trees, the animals, everything that humans needs to live. The earth, the mountains, the rivers, all that is life. Humanity cannot exist without nature.” This is… Read More ›
Guatemalan Feminist Rapper Tearing Down Walls
Rebeca Lane | Photo: Cynthia Vance / Courtesy Rebeca Lane Guatemalan Feminist Rapper Tearing Down Walls By: Heather Gies for TeleSUR Rebeca Lane is a feminist rapper, poet, artist and activist based in Guatemala City whose art and resistance as… Read More ›
Beneath the shawls, justice is served
The women raise their hands on hearing the verdict (Sandra Sebastián) “The Guatemalan justice system has said it was not a lie. Sexual violence within the Sepur Zarco military outpost was real. More than ten women had to wait 34… Read More ›
Reactions to Historic Sepur Zarco Judgment
On February 26, 2016, High Risk “A” Tribunal in Guatemala convicted military officers Esteelmer Reyes Girón and Heriberto Valdez Asig of sexual violence and domestic and sexual slavery against 15 Maya Q’eqchi’ women, as well as several counts of homicide… Read More ›
News from La Puya
Yesterday, March 2, 2016,the Comunidad en Resistencia at La Puya celebrated their fourth year of peaceful resistance against the El Tambor gold mine. This anniversary was especially momentous, coming just after the Guatemalan Supreme Court’s February 22 ruling to suspend… Read More ›
Sepur Zarco – Guilty Verdict
Women survivors of Sepur Zarco stand and raise their hands in acknowledgement of the guilty verdict and sentence. Photo: EPA (NISGUA) The 26th February marked an historic day for both Guatemala and the world in the struggle to seek justice… Read More ›
Guatemala – trade unions in the firing line
Noé Ramirez Portela, General Secretary of the Izabal Banana Workers’ Union of Guatemala (SITRABI) visited the UK from 26 to 28 November 2015, during which he met UK trade unionists, government and opposition officials and journalists. He also spoke at… Read More ›
Arrests suggest crimes of the past will not be forgotten
Further to this recent post on this blog, the Guatemala Trials website speaks of the arrest of 18 former military officers in relation to crimes committed during Guatemala’s 36-year conflict. According to Sophie Beaudoin, here, “the dramatic arrests came as… Read More ›
NGOs condemn Canadian ruling that mining case be heard in Guatemala
Canadian and U.S. organisations condemn judge’s ruling that a lawsuit against Vancouver-based mining company Tahoe Resources must be heard in Guatemala, not Canada. Six plaintiffs allege that security personnel attacked protesters in 2013 with rubber bullets at the Tahoe Resources-owned… Read More ›
Guatemala Solidarity Network 