One afternoon in 1994, during his senior year in college, Fredy Peccerelli sat at an anthropology conference in Atlanta and stared at the man onstage. Peccerelli had seen the renowned bone detective Clyde Snow before, but only in a textbook…. Read More ›
Violence
Panel Discussion Held to Discuss Children and Violence in Guatemala
The International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), humans rights organisations, and members of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and the United Nations took part in a panel discussion last month (May 27) to discuss the issue of children and violence in… Read More ›
Justice Comes Slowly for Guatemala’s Maya Achí
In 1982, over 400 Maya Achí men, women, and children were murdered for opposing a hydroelectric dam under construction on the Chixoy River. The next year, the completed Chixoy dam flooded more than 30 Maya Achí communities. In 2014, the… Read More ›
Killing of Guatemalan activist in the Maya Biosphere Reserve raises alarm
Walter Manfredo Méndez Barrios. Photo courtesy of Defensores de la Naturaleza (Mongabay website) The violent death of an environmental activist and community leader in northern Guatemala two days ago has sparked consternation and concern among communities and organizations working in… Read More ›
Sepur Zarco: ‘I am here seeking justice’
There is really nothing to add here. From Plaza Pública.
Beneath the shawls, justice is served
The women raise their hands on hearing the verdict (Sandra Sebastián) “The Guatemalan justice system has said it was not a lie. Sexual violence within the Sepur Zarco military outpost was real. More than ten women had to wait 34… Read More ›
Reactions to Historic Sepur Zarco Judgment
On February 26, 2016, High Risk “A” Tribunal in Guatemala convicted military officers Esteelmer Reyes Girón and Heriberto Valdez Asig of sexual violence and domestic and sexual slavery against 15 Maya Q’eqchi’ women, as well as several counts of homicide… Read More ›
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 ›
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 ›
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 ›
Guatemala Solidarity Network 