“The villagers had no idea that their land had been nationalised in 1984 – a fact that was concealed from them for 28 years. They are perplexed, shocked, and angry. In the 1980s the area was scorched with genocide and… Read More ›
Justice
‘As Firm as a Tree’
On July 7th 2010, gunmen entered the home of Diodora Hernández (above) and shot her in the eye. Diodora worked with a group of women active in defending community water resources from Canadian mining company Goldcorp. Goldcorp has… Read More ›
Guatemala: Food Crisis in the Polochic Exacerbates as Government Repression Continues
“The massive evictions of 800 families from 14 communities in Guatemala’s Polochic Valley, removing peasant agriculture in order to install the Chabil Utzaj sugar plantation, began on March 15, 2011. When we heard, we were surprised. Not because we have… Read More ›
“I want someone to show me there was genocide”
An interesting blog entry came along on the Central American Politics blog page regarding the upcoming Presidential elections and stories about Otto Pérez Molina, the front runner. The elections are due to be held on that most of iconic dates… Read More ›
Death Threats in Guatemala: The Dangers of Justice-Seeking
“Guatemala is a land of tremendous contrasts; a place of incredible beauty, wonderful people and heart-stopping terror. Our final evening on a recent Skylight Pictures visit to this “land of eternal spring” starts simply enough, but by the end of… Read More ›
Trial for Guatemala Massacre Concludes, but U.S. Military Aid Continues
Twenty eight years after the massacre of 251 indigenous farmers, I found myself silently accompanying human rights organizations scrambling to identify the remains. The request for a daily international presence from the organization of families of the disappeared in Guatemala… Read More ›
Accused Sentenced to Over 6,000 Years for Dos Erres Massacre
More than 28 years have passed since the massacre of more than 200 men, women, and children in the small farming community of Las Dos Erres, Petén. For 17 years, survivors and family members of victims have struggled to bring… Read More ›
Guatemala: Women-Only Buses Against Sexual Harassment
Women-only bus in Guatemala City. – Danilo Valladares/IPS ‘We are all safer here; it’s great because this way there are no men groping you,’ Jaqueline Escobar, a sales executive, told IPS on a bus that is exclusively for women, a… Read More ›
In Guatemala, the oligarchs profit from the Maya civilisation
So titled is an interesting article by Grégory Lassalle on Le Monde Diplomatique’s Spanish website. The article uses the exhibition of Maya artefacts currently showing at the museum of Quai Branly, in Paris, to highlight the fact that oligarch businesses… Read More ›
Guatemala Solidarity Network 