Brendan O’Boyle writes in Americas Quarterly on how President Giammattei is, so far, able to hold off calls for resignation despite his attacks on the independence of the judiciary and his government’s catastrophic and grossly negligent response to the pandemic…. Read More ›
Poverty
Guatemala Tries to Repeat the 2015 Uprising against Corruption
Roman Gressier writes in El Faro about the national strike, called last week, in response to the sacking of Juan Francisco Sandoval. The paro nacional also confronted the government response to the pandemic, as well as rampant corruption. The national… Read More ›
“Fear has made me braver and that’s why I want to keep fighting”
ACOGUATE has published a piece about the struggle of the people of Ixquisis Microregion against the imposition of large megaprojects, through the words of María Hernández, a human rights defender. For the past three years, María Hernández has represented women… Read More ›
As Pandemic Pummels Guatemala, Government Stalls
Jeff Abbott wrote recently, in El Faro English, of the desperate situation in Guatemala regarding the COVID pandemic, and the government’s poor response, rooted in corruption, while noting that “the president is indifferent”. It is within this crisis context that… Read More ›
Guatemalan Communities Turn Out for Indigenous-Led Nationwide Shutdown
Sandra Cuffe writes in The Intercept about the national strike that took place on 29th July in response to the events surrounding the sacking of Juan Francisco Sandoval and his flight out of Guatemala. The ‘Paro Nacional’ was called by… Read More ›
When Justice Prevails
In the latest newsletter, from Skylight, Pamela Yates features an interview with Kate Doyle of the National Security Archive (NSA). A powerful recent example [of justice cascade] comes from Guatemala, a small country yet one where human rights defenders have… Read More ›
Revised NGO Law threatens freedom of association in Guatemala
Guatemala Solidarity Network (GSN) wishes to “express our profound concern regarding the amendments to Bill 5257, a law governing the activities of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), that went into effect Monday, June 21st, following the Guatemalan Constitutional Court’s (CC) denial of… Read More ›
The community of Chicoyogüito and their struggle for justice
On the 28th July, 1968, the community of Chicoyogüito, in Alta Verapaz, was evicted from its lands in order to instal the former Military Zone 21 (ZM 21), which became a detention centre, as well as a site for massacres… Read More ›
Central America Needs a Commission to Prosecute Corruption, Not a War on Migration
Victoria Sanford had an interesting opinion piece published in BarrioZona in advance of the visit to Guatemala of the United States Vice President, Kamala Harris. Following a virtual bilateral meeting last month with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei, Vice President Kamala… Read More ›
Guatemala’s Disappeared – Fault Lines
In 2017, Al Jazeera produced the film ‘Guatemala’s Disappeared’ as part of their Fault Lines series. It still resonates today especially with the current hearing into the Diario Militar case. The film features the work of the Guatemalan Forensic Anthropology… Read More ›
Guatemala Solidarity Network 