Leocadio Juracán released on bail but the struggle for justice continues

Leocadio Juracán released on bail but the struggle for justice continues

Leocadio with his lawyers on August 18th following the trial in Izabal. Photo credit: CCDA

Last Wednesday, August 13th, 2025, Leocadio Juracán, campesino activist and agrarian reform coordinator for the Campesino Committee of the Highlands (CCDA), was detained at La Aurora International Airport as he was preparing to travel to South Africa for a global conference with leaders from countries across the world. After passing through the security and immigration checkpoints, he was stopped by a group of over ten police officers, who asked for his passport and subsequently apprehended him without giving any reason for his detention.

After being questioned at the airport, Leocadio was transferred to the Torre de Tribunales where he was held overnight before having his pre-detention trial on the morning of August 14th, where the judge officially declared what his accusations were. He was accused of aggravated occupation, damage to national heritage, illegal selling of natural resources, and attempted arson of forestal areas in the Izabal region of Guatemala. After some analysis, the CCDA concluded that these accusations stem from an agrarian conflict in the Río Tebernal community, where large scale landowners have attempted on several occasions to evict the community, claiming ownership over the land with little to no legal backing. Leocadio’s accusations also hold little to no legal backing and are a clear indication of how the landowners have worked to co-opt the justice system to fabricate charges against Leocadio, in a worrisome and problematic trend of CCDA leaders being persecuted by the Public Prosecutor’s (MP) office.

BTS staff were present throughout Leocadio’s detention process and have closely accompanied the CCDA as they navigate this tumultuous process. We were able to be present at the Tribunales the day Leocadio was detained, despite his original pre-detention trial being postponed for the following morning. Regardless, we were at Tribunales the following day to be present for the trial and accompanied the CCDA for the remainder of the day, prior to his transfer to the Mariscal Zavala military complex, the same area where two other criminalized Indigenous leaders, Luis Pacheco and Hector Chaclán are currently being detained. On Friday, August 15th, we had the opportunity to visit Leocadio at Mariscal Zavala where we checked in on his health and emotional state, and updated him on the work we are doing as BTS. He presented in good health and in high spirits despite his situation, though the state of affairs in Guatemala and particularly in the Izabal department are worrisome. His biggest concern was being transferred to a jail in Izabal where his personal safety would be largely compromised, in contrast to the relative amount of safety he had in Mariscal Zavala.

There was a lot of work also happening behind-the-scenes to complement our in-person, on-the-ground work. BTS staff were able to gather over 25 character reference letters for Leocadio from various organizations and universities in the US and Canada, as well as work together with other organizations to gather funds to support Leocadio and the CCDA. We also reached out to the Canadian Embassy in Guatemala to notify them of Leocadio’s detention and amplified calls for his immediate release on social media to keep attention on his case. We want to extend our thanks to everyone who has provided support from the Maritimes and responded so quickly to our various requests to take urgent action. The CCDA has reiterated that the international support our network gives is gravely important for their work and for their spirits as they face these types of injustices and setbacks to their organizing efforts.

Despite these challenging situations, as of today, August 21st, 2025, we’re happy to share that there have been some relatively positive advances in Leocadio’s case thus far. He had his first trial in Puerto Barrios, Izabal on the morning of August 18th at approximately 11am, where the judge dropped three of the four accusations, leaving only the aggravated occupation charge to be analyzed at the next trial on February 5th, 2026. In the meantime, Leocadio was released on bail under the conditions that he not be present in the Izabal department and that he not leave Guatemala. Under these conditions, he is now back home in Quixaya’ and re-interpretting the current context of the CCDA’s following his criminalization. He reunited with his family and fellow comrades from the CCDA on the night of Tuesday, August 19th, after a delayed release process, but was welcomed with open arms and high spirits.

On the morning of August 18th, BTS attended the CCDA press conference in Guatemala City where we talked with CCDA leadership and base members. They affirmed that these fabricated charges have no legal foundations and are part of a historic process of land conflicts in Guatemala. More than anything, these reiterated their dedication to fighting for human and land rights, despite the ongoing processes of displacement and criminalization. Though the morning started out tense with anxiety about how the trial would go, by the afternoon, the sentiment had changed as they knew Leocadio would not have to be detained any longer. In the press conference, the CCDA affirmed that “this act of cowardice will become a movement of thousands of voices in resistance.”

Leocadio’s arrest came the day after the trial for the Hogar Seguro case took place on August 12th, 2025. In this session, the judges found former government officials guilty for the deaths of 56 girls in a government run shelter for at-risk girls. Former president Jimmy Morales, himself, was named in this trial and will be investigated. When Leocadio was in congress, he specifically requested that Jimmy Morales be investigated for the death of these girls, though at that time, he remained in impunity. Now, given Leocadio’s arrest, the timing of his persecution seems to be connected to the Hogar Seguro case and the connection with Jimmy Morales, specifically.

Lastly, we want to highlight the fact that the Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, who recently visited Guatemala and was in direct contact with Leocadio and the CCDA, condemned “the widespread practice of violent and inhumane forced evictions and criminalisation, particularly of Indigenous Peoples and peasant communities.” He notably called for an immediate moratorium on evictions, legal reforms to prohibit extrajudicial evictions, and clear mechanisms to address land conflicts in accordance with international law.

With the difficult, uncertain and tumultuous political and social context here in Guatemala, we want to extend our gratitude to everyone that is part of the BTS network for responding to these situations and for supporting our work on the ground and throughout Canada. The fight for justice in Leocadio’s case is far from over, but it has taken a tentatively hopeful turn as he has now returned home and is with his family. Today, he shared a video message of gratitude for all the support he has received over the last week. 

We will continue to keep you updated as we learn more about the ongoing struggle for justice. Thank you for supporting the CCDA and all of BTS’ partners in Guatemala.