Renata Avila writes on the Global Voices site that, “at least 7 civilians were killed, up to 32 were injured, and 35 were intoxicated on October 4, 2012, when combined armed forces violently removed demonstrators from Cuatro Caminos (”four roads”),… Read More ›
Justice
Q&A: Guatemala’s Bold Attorney General Makes a Dent in Impunity
“Since Claudia Paz y Paz Bailey became attorney general in Guatemala in 2010, a string of crimes involving military personnel who fought leftwing guerrillas, drug traffickers and organised crime have been cleared up. The mild manner of this 46-year-old doctor… Read More ›
In Memoriam: Adolfo Ich Chamán
James Rodríguez of MiMundo has put together this special multimedia entry commemorating the third anniversary of the murder of Adolfo Ich Chamán, Q’eqchi’ Mayan schoolteacher, recognised anti-mining leader, and land tenure activist from El Estor, Guatemala. Mr. Ich Chamán was… Read More ›
Criminalization and Violence Erupt in the Shadow of the Escobal Mine
We have featured the struggles of San Rafael Las Flores against mining interests before both <a href=http://gsntest.jocote.org/uncategorized/goldcorp%e2%80%99s-legacy%3a-criminalization-and-mining-resistance-in-san-rafael-las-flores/' right to consultation in the face of the project and last week, in an unclarified series of events, violence erupted when security forces… Read More ›
Santa Cruz Barillas wants its leaders back
Santa Cruz Barillas is a town in the Western Highlands in the Department of Huehuetenango and it has the misfortune to be the site of the Cambalam hydroelectric dam. The municipality has been the site of conflict since the issuing… Read More ›
Out of land and nowhere to go: Occupying land in Cahabon, Guatemala
“Cahabon, like much of Guatemala, suffers from a high percentage of land disputes. At the moment it is estimated that 50% of the rural population who work small plots of land are waiting to be recognized as legitimate owners. The… Read More ›
Alice Zachmann Human Rights Defender Award
GSN is pleased to pass on the news that the communities of San Pedro Ayampuc and San José del Golfo have been announced as the winners of the Alice Zachmann Human Rights Defender Award. The Guatemala Human Rights Commission (GHRC)… Read More ›
Capitalising on Natural Disasters in Guatemala
“In a country as vulnerable to natural disasters as Guatemala, a “state of public calamity” is frequently declared – to the joy of contractors, which find a good opportunity to line their pockets. Tourists visiting this mountainous Central American country… Read More ›
Guatemala’s Highest Court to Hear Landmark Indigenous Challenge against Mining Law
“Today [July 20th 2012], Guatemala’s Constitutional Court will hear a case challenging the constitutionality of the 1997 mining law for failure to consult with the country’s indigenous peoples who make up more than half the population. The lawsuit, filed by… Read More ›
The spoils of an undeclared war
How Guatemala’s ‘War on Drugs’ is being used as a front to clear land for oil companies We mentioned previously about the Guatemala Government’s subservience to global corporate interests, namely that of French oil company Perenco. An article by Dawn… Read More ›
Guatemala Solidarity Network 