TAKE ACTION: Call Canadian Government to Act in Support of Indigenous Communities and Guatemalan Democracy Last week, the BTS community learned about the devastating murder of Noé Gómez Barrera, Xinka ancestral authority and community leader. We ask you to stand with his loved ones and the Xinka People by writing [...]
This action was updated on December 10 to reflect worsening attacks on Guatemalan democracy, after the Public Prosecutor's office (MP) held a press conference threatening to annul election results, an act which the Organisation of American States (OAS) called "an attempted coup d'etat." In light of ongoing attacks on democracy [...]
URGENT ACTION : GUATEMALA: State must immediately stop the excessive violence against defenders of the Maya Q'eqchi' people in peaceful resistance against the illegal nickel project in El Estor. After twenty days of peaceful resistance against the illegal mining of their ancestral territories and the Guatemalan State's failure to enforce [...]
Dear Pan American Silver, When you purchased the Escobal mine in 2019, you knew about the broad opposition to the project and that there had been violent repression against those involved in the fight. Now, your refusal to halt local programs in Xinka communities is fomenting tension and division. These [...]
In January 2018, the government announced that it would create an independent office with the power to investigate. Instead, on April 8, 2019, it unveiled a powerless advisory post, little different from what has already existed for years. The Government of Canada failed to appoint an independent Ombudsperson for Responsible [...]
Five months after our initial response actions, our partners and staff in Guatemala confirm that the situation throughout the country continues to drastically deteriorate, despite the Guatemalan government’s assurance otherwise. It is evident that Guatemala along with the majority of Latin American countries are entering a long haul, with [...]
We ask that you write letters to the Government of Guatemala and the Canadian Embassy to Guatemala by Friday, May 8th calling on officials to defend the rights of the most vulnerable in their response to COVID-19.
The May Month of Action for Mining Justice has kicked off. The campaign is being coordinated by the Canadian Network on Corporate Accountability and its members, including BTS. Through this campaign, we're calling on the Canadian government to take concrete measures to strengthen the rules for businesses & uphold human rights, [...]
[TEMPLATE LETTERS & EMAIL ADDRESSES OF CANADIAN & GUATEMALAN OFFICIALS CAN BE FOUND IN THE BELOW DOCUMENT] Dear BTS Members and Friends, The Government of Guatemala has exploited the COVID-19 pandemic to further the financial and political interests of the private sector and ruling elite at the expense of the [...]
Dear BTS Friends, Right now, your commitment to justice, hope, and solidarity on a local and global scale is more important than ever. The Maritimes-Guatemala Breaking the Silence Network has supported the efforts of Guatemalans struggling for political, social and economic justice since 1988. We are bound by a long-term [...]
