This is an article written by Monsignor Alvaro Ramazzini who is Bishop of the Diocese of San Marcos. It was originally published on the COPAE website and subsequently in albedrío. We we are grateful to Natasha da Silva for the… Read More ›
Land
“This land is ours”
“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 ›
‘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 ›
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 ›
Oil Companies and the Subservience of the Government
An interesting article by Emma Volonté found on Upside Down World suggests nefarious dealings of a resource extractive company in Guatemala. This should not necessarily be news as we have highlighted many times the workings of, for example, Goldcorp and… Read More ›
Racism and the Race for Natural Resources
Here is a reflection from GSN accompanier Tanya. Entering 2011, an election year for Guatemala, political and social actors are being targeted more frequently and, in the midst of the increasing levels of violence, the land issue rages on. Human… Read More ›
Martial Law, Repression, and Remilitarization in Guatemala
Simon Granovsky-Larsen has written about the State of Siege in Alta Verapaz in this article posted on the LAB website. It was originally posted on the NACLA site. It is another useful contribution to the discussion about the reasons for… Read More ›
More on the State of Siege in Alta Verapaz
More articles on the State of Siege in Alta Verapaz as well as a short film. The AFP film was made by Greg Brosnan who was also responsible for the Guatemalan immigrant film In the Shadow of the Raid, featured… Read More ›
Another arrest made in Dos Erres case
As we reported back in September, former kaibil Gilberto Jordan was sentenced to ten years imprisonment in Florida for lying on his naturalisation papers. He hid his role in the Dos Erres massacre to obtain US citizenship. Recently, another former… Read More ›