Written by: Indigo Christ and Laura Robinson The Highlands Committee of Small Farmers (CCDA) protesting at the American Embassy in Guatemala during Vice President Kamala Harris's visit. Their signs read “Kamala They are lying to you! There is corruption, political prisoners, malnutrition, hate crimes, [...]
Written by: Maria Reyes Leer en español aquí On June 7 in the Guatemalan Congress, the Valor party, led by Zury Rios (daughter of Rios Montt) presented Law 5920 for the consolidation of peace and reconciliation, also known as the "Amnesty Law". This proposed law is not new. In February [...]
APG Mesoamerica voices concerns over increased violence and repression in Guatemala, as Canada benefits from the country’s rapidly deteriorating rule of law and democracy In late May, BTS and other members of the Americas Policy Group (APG) drafted a briefing note voicing concern over escalating violence and repression in Guatemala [...]
Written by Este Guatemala’s dry season is once again coming to an end, making way for the rains that will spring forward another cycle of crops, life, and resistance. As we have reported in previous weeks through updates on the top stories making the news in Guatemala, major concerns swirl [...]
Taken during a sustained peaceful protest in front of the Constitutional Court “We demand new elections” “Courts not mafias, no to the cartel of judges” (Photo credit: LaCuerda) What is Making News In Guatemala: Top 3 Stories Written by Cooperants Indigo Christ and Laura Robinson COVID-19: New strains [...]
Written by: BTS Cooperant Indigo Christ Marking women’s history month and the one-year anniversary of the global pandemic, March has brought an acute awareness and action for the increase of gender-based violence in Guatemala over the past year. March also marks the arrival of the first vaccines to Guatemala and [...]
Photo credit: Xinka Parliament On October 15, 2020, the Xinka Parliament announced that Guatemalan authorities have finally recognized their representatives elected to participate in a consultation on the Escobal silver mine. Along with other agreements, this breakthrough could allow the court-ordered process over the future of the mine to advance after being [...]
By: Este, BTS Interim Guatemala Coordinator A preliminary hearing on the case against María Magadelna Cuc Choc, Maya Q’eqchi’ human rights and land defender, was held on September 11, 2020. Judge Edgar Anibal Arteaga who presides over the case took less than 5 minutes to present his resolution and send [...]
Photo: CCDA Press Conference on August 13, 2020, calling for the immediate distribution of Congressional funds for small family farming (Credit: CCDA) In our last update at the end of June we provided a broad summary of the first one hundred days since the onset of COVID-19 in Guatemala. We [...]
By: Este Chep, Interim BTS Guatemala Coordinator Just over one hundred days have passed since the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Guatemala and the beginning of various containment responses by the Guatemalan Government. The sudden reaction to the crisis led to a wide social, political and economic disarray affecting [...]
