On April 22- 23, the intermediary phase of the hearing against six men accused of sexual violence against 36 Achi women from Rabinal, Guatemala will continue. The court is set to decide if there is enough evidence to send the hearing to trial. The survivors have denounced continued threats and intimidation by the families of the accused, many of whom still live in the same communities as the women.

On February 13, two women from involved in the case, Paulina Alvarado y Pedrina Ixpata, presented an injunction to the proposed amendments to the National Reconciliation Law, which would grant amnesty and allow those convicted of crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes to be released from jail and end all ongoing trials for these crimes, including the trial for sexual violence against the 36 women from Rabinal.

Thank you to all to responded to our urgent call for action on the National Reconciliation Law! Due to international and local pressure, the day of the vote in Congress, many members walked out of the room, leading to a lack of quorum. While it is still possible the third reading of the bill could be in the future, it most likely will not be on the agenda for Congress again until at least the end of the first round of elections on June 16. We will keep an eye on this bill as there is the possibility it could be on the agenda once again.