Guatemala: News & Updates

The National Civil Police (PNC) used excessive force and brutality against demonstrators and journalists at a primarily peaceful protest at the Constitutional Plaza in Guatemala City on November 21. We support the demands of Amnesty International: 1) “that the Public Prosecutor's Office conduct a prompt, thorough and independent investigation into the excessive use of force by police during the demonstrations, and 2) “that the government ensure that the population is able to exercise its right to raise its voice without fear of reprisal.” Furthermore, we echo the recommendation by Jordán Rodas Andrade, Guatemala’s ombudsman for human rights: “Refrain from using these acts of provocation and vandalism to justify the persecution of journalists and human rights defenders, and criminalize the legitimate demonstration of citizens”

We wrote to officials in Guatemala regarding the criminalization of indigenous journalist Anastasia Mejía Tiriquiz in Quiché Department. (This is a follow-up to a letter we sent September 26, 2020). On September 22, agents from the Specialized Criminal Investigation Division (DEIC) of the National Civil Police (PNC) raided her home, from which she operates the radio station Xol Abaj. They arrested her on charges of “sedition,” “attack with specific aggravations,” “aggravated arson,” and “aggravated robbery.” Although Guatemalan law establishes that an initial hearing must take place within 24 hours after an individual is arrested, that did not happen. Anastasia Mejía Tiriquiz waited in arbitrary detention for 36 days at the Quetzaltenango Preventive Center for Women. On October 28, she was formally charged by the judge of the Criminal Court of First Instance of Santa Cruz del Quiché. A cash bail was set, and she was permitted to leave imprisonment and stay in her home “under house arrest .” We are urging that authorities in Guatemala drop all charges against Anastasia Mejía Tiriquiz.

President Alejandro Giamettei closed three government offices that were created to comply with the Peace Accords of 1996 and Guatemala’s international obligations to seek justice for all human rights violations committed during the armed conflict. On July 30, the president signed Government Agreement 100-2020, creating the COPADEH (Commission for Peace and Human Rights ) but not specifically assuming the functions of the three shuttered institutions: Secretary of Peace (SEPAZ), the Secretary of Agrarian Affairs (SAA), and the Presidential Commission for the Coordination of Executive Policy on Human Rights (COPREDEH). This is evidence of abandonment of the Peace Accords, the negating of State responsibility for grave violations of human rights in the past, and the ignoring of the rights to reparations for victims of state violence. We are requesting that: 1) the Constitutional Court suspend the closure of the SEPAZ, the SAA and the COPREDEH; 2) the Central Government respect the commitments of the State of Guatemala to peace and human rights; 3) the Guatemalan Congress fulfill their oversight function and not remain passive in the face of arbitrary decisions.

We are concerned for the safety of environmental and indigenous rights defender Ubaldino García Canan and other members of the Nuevo Día Ch’orti Indigenous Association (CCCND) in Olopa municipality in Chiquimula Department. CCCND provides legal support and visibility to indigenous Maya Ch'orti' communities. They face repeated human rights violations and threats to their land, environmental, and cultural rights because of hydroelectric and mining projects in their territories. On the night of August 5, Ubaldino García Canan, who serves as spokesperson for the Maya Ch'orti' Indigenous Council of Olopa, once again became a crime victim when unknown persons forcibly raided his home and his adjoined small grocery store. Because the intruders stole personal documents along with money and products, indigenous authorities suspect that Ubaldino García Canan was being targeted because of his involvement with CCCND. Residents of 11 villages of Olopa municaplity (and several of neighboring Esquipulas municipality) have been organizing opposition to an antimony sulfide mine that is contaminating their rivers. In retaliation, they have been victimized by intimidation and violence.