Ancestral Authorities stand alongside the President and Vice President elect. Photo: Festivales Solidarios Inauguration is around the corner: on January 14, Berardo Arévalo should assume the presidency, following his landslide win in August. But Guatemala's "Pact of the Corrupt" is pulling out all the stops to try to [...]
Public Prosecutor's Office Continues Criminalization of Popular Dissent, Election Winners Four of those detained yesterday continue to call for an autonomous USAC. Photo credit: Still from Diego España video. Yesterday morning, the Public Prosecutor’s office (MP) went on a criminalization rampage, announcing 27 arrest warrants, detaining five peoples [...]
More than a Hundred Organizations Demand Justice for Assassination of Xinka Leader Noé Gómez Barrera A sign commemorating Noé Gómez Barrera's life says, "Martyr of the social struggle: Human Rights Defender Noé Gómez Barrera. We will follow the example of his struggle." Following the murder of Xinka human [...]
Indigenous Authorities Launch National Strike to Demand Resignation of Corrupt Actors, Defend Democracy The Highlands’ Committee of Small Scale Farmers (CCDA) protests in front of the Public Prosecutor's office. For the last 10 days, Guatemala has been on an indefinite national strike. Since Bernardo Arévalo and Karin Herrera [...]
Español abajo On Monday, October 9, a host of international solidarity and human rights organizations sent a letter indicating their serious concern in the face of attempts by the Public Prosecutor's office to prevent the peaceful transition of power through the judicialization of election results and the criminalization of any [...]
Julian Marcelo Sabuc Xalcut (CCDA) gives an interview about protests in front of the Public Prosecutor's Office. [Find the original video of the interview below] BTS: Good afternoon, could you tell me your name and the organization you represent? Marcelo (CCDA): Good afternoon, I’m Julian Marcelo Sabuc Xalcut, [...]
Over the past decade in Guatemala, criminalization has increasingly served as a strategy to stifle public participation in civic life. In most cases, Guatemalan authorities have collaborated with both business and military interests to criminalize those who seek justice and fight against impunity. Unending criminalization of Indigenous land defenders Early [...]
Nueva Jerusalen homes burned in violent eviction, photo credit: CCDA On the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples - Wednesday, August 9th - police and private security forces attacked the Xinka community of Nueva Jerusalen and ruthlessly burnt people's homes and possessions. Located in Escuintla, the sugar-cane [...]
Guatemalan presidential elections took place on Sunday. Hopes were low in the lead-up given a slate of far-right candidates backed by the Pacto de Corruptos (Covenant of the Corrupt), high-level bribery accusations, months of rival presidential candidates’ exclusions from the race, and a context of ever-increasing repression and criminalization. But [...]
Guatemala will hold elections on June 25. With none of the presidential candidates likely to receive the necessary majority to win outright, runoffs for president will almost inevitably be held in August. Candidates Blocked Several significant presidential contenders have been excluded from the race. Popular presidential candidate, Thelma Cabrera, was [...]
