Roman Gressier writes in El Faro about the continuing attempt by the Guatemala state to stop the January inauguration of the victor of the recent presidential election, Bernardo Arévalo. The latest attempt relates to the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) and… Read More ›
Violence
Claudia González – demands for her freedom
This from the website of Guatemala Human Rights Commission (GHRC) in response to the arrest of lawyer, Claudia González. On August 28, at the behest of Attorney General Consuelo Porras and on the order of Judge Jimi Bremer, police arrested… Read More ›
Guatemala’s Progressive President-Elect Will Face an Uphill Battle
In Guatemala, the historic victory of Bernardo Arévalo has unleashed the wrath of the country’s conservative elite. The coming months will prove crucial as Arévalo and progressive forces struggle to guarantee a peaceful democratic transition. Maya K’iche’ Guatemalan historian and… Read More ›
Guatemala’s president-elect warns of a coup
Filmmaker Judy Jackson writes in Latin America Bureau (LAB) on the recent elections and talks about the rise of Movimiento Semilla and the increasing use of lawfare against anti-corruption initiatives. Powerful politicians in Guatemala overlooked one tiny centre-left party when… Read More ›
Elections in Guatemala – webinar
Recently, Canning House presented a webinar titled, Elections in Guatemala, featuring Rachel Sieder, Edgar Ortiz Romero, Manuel Melendez, Claudia Mendez Arriaza, and moderated by Jeremy Browne. On 25 June, more than 5 million voters participated in the first round of… Read More ›
When the Mountains Tremble: 40th Anniversary
The film-maker, Pamela Yates, of Skylight writes on the 40th anniversary of her hugely important film, When the Mountains Tremble, and its relevance for today. Although it’s been four decades since Mountains launched at the first Sundance Film Festival and… Read More ›
Guatemala Electoral Tribunal Certifies Arévalo Victory but Suspends His Party
On Monday the Supreme Electoral Tribunal both certified the victory of President-Elect Bernardo Arévalo and temporarily suspended his Semilla party, the latest in a chain of protracted legal battles leading up to inauguration on January 14. The party says it… Read More ›
Guatemalans Celebrate Return of “Democratic Spring” as Potential Violence Threatens Transition
Bernardo Arévalo won Guatemala’s runoff in a landslide but faces a troubled transition amid reported assassination plots and ongoing judicial maneuvers. Emily Taylor writes in NACLA on the ‘second Guatemalan spring’ and the challenges ahead. Guatemalans flocked to public squares… Read More ›
Lawfare Casts Shadow Over Paradigm-Shifting Guatemalan Election
Despite court intervention and legal persecution, a reformist candidate is favored to win the runoff over an establishment option. Judicial efforts to derail democracy still loom. Vaclav Masek writes in NACLA about the increased use of lawfare by the state… Read More ›
‘Fighting a huge monster’: mine battle in Guatemala became a playbook for polluters
Indigenous defenders opposing the Marlin mine were criminalised by a corporation and its state allies Nina Lakhani writes in The Guardian about the community struggle against the Canadian gold-mining firm Goldcorp’s Marlin mine in San Miguel Ixtahuacán, in the west… Read More ›
Guatemala Solidarity Network 