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 ›
Justice
Sepur Zarco: Landmark Sexual Violence Case in Guatemala
Image from the Sepur Zarco trial taken by Nelton Rivera On Monday, February 1, the landmark Sepur Zarco trial opened in Guatemala City before High-Risk Court A. It is first time that a case of sexual violence related to Guatemala’s… Read More ›
Guatemalan Court Upholds Ruling on Ecocide
Polly Higgins writes in the blog, ‘Eradicating Ecocide‘, about the recent court case in Guatemala where the African palm oil corporation, Empresa Reforestadora de Palma de Petén SA (REPSA), lost their appeal against the first ruling of its kind. The… Read More ›
Ghosts of Past Violence Haunt New President of Guatemala
As newly-elected Guatemalan president Jimmy Morales prepares to start his four-year term, the ghosts of the Central American country’s past violence are re-emerging in a dramatic way as, earlier this month, Guatemala’s Public Prosecutor’s Office arrested 18 high-ranking retired military… 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 ›
Tahoe Resources’ Former Security Manager Flees Justice
News was recently released that Alberto Rotondo, Tahoe Resources’ former security manager, had escaped police custody. Rotondo is accused of having ordered private security guards to attack peaceful protestors outside the Escobal mine in southeastern Guatemala on April 27, 2013,… Read More ›
Report – “Under Siege: Peaceful Resistance to Tahoe Resources and Militarization in Guatemala”
“Almost from the moment Canadian-US mining company Tahoe Resources acquired the Escobal silver project from Goldcorp over five years ago, the company and the Guatemalan government have used repression, criminalization, and, ultimately, militarization to try to silence peaceful resistance to… Read More ›
The International Justice Monitor – latest
The International Justice Monitor (a project of the Open Society Justice Initiative) keeps a watchful eye on the justice system in Guatemala. Here is a short summary of their latest posts, all written by Sophie Beaudoin. Sepur Zarco Trial to… 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 ›
New report on the right to food and human rights defenders in Guatemala
A coalition six of international organisations have published a new report on the Right to Adequate Food (RtAR) and the situation of human rights defenders in Guatemala. The report, published in October, followed a third international mission to Guatemala, carried… Read More ›