LAMMP » Guatemala

IAHCR “deeply concerned” about Guatemala

admin — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 09:03:33 +0000

IACHR Commissioner Dinah Shelton in her capacity as Rapporteur for Guatemala and Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples expressed deep concern for the high levels of violence against women reported in Guatemala. Commissioner Shelton is deeply concerned about the grave human rights situation affecting indigenous peoples in Guatemala, a situation that is primarily related to the failure to adopt government measures to guarantee their rights over their land and natural resources.

Further information is available at the IACHR website.

We are indebted to James Rodríguez of mimundo.org for permission to reproduce his excellent photgraphs of the recent long protest march to Guatemala City.

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UN High Commissioner visits Guatemala

admin — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 09:45:25 +0000

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, has visited Totonicapán in western Guatemala.

She was presented with a document setting out the concerns about the violations of individual and collective human rights of indigenous people in Guatemala. She was also given a copy of the legal action introduced against the current mining law (from July 1997), showing that that law is unconstitutional because of the lack of consultation.

More information is available on the blog of the Western Peoples’ Council, at examiner.com and in the press statement. In particular, the latter states (our translation):

I would like to emphasise the need for the State to carry out an exhasutive review of existing laws and policy concerning indigenous land, mining and the environment, especially a reform to the Mining Law in accordance with international standards, in orer to avoid the increase in the number of evictions which my Office has documented.

Amnesty and Santa Rosa

admin — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 11:36:18 +0000

(Photo: MadreTierra)

Amnesty International has issued an Urgent Action Alert for the circumstances surrounding mining in Santa Rosa, south-eastern Guatemala.

The alert is available in English and Spanish, and there is more information available on the website of MadreSelva.

IACHR and Marlin water

admin — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 15:13:09 +0000

(Photo: Archivo/s21)

Siglo 21 reports that the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights has asked the Guatemalan government to ensure the quality of drinking water supplied to 18 Mayan communities close to the Marlin mine, operated by Montana Exploradora de Guatemala, S.A. part of the Canadian company Goldcorp Inc., which also has the story in Spanish on its website and in English.

The complete Siglo 21 article is available in Spanish.

Sexual abuse in Guatemala

admin — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 22:21:55 +0000

Women in areas of Guatemala where mining companies operate have condemned the sexual abuse by security forces during forced evictions in, for example, San Juan Sacatepéquez. The women state that the police was acting on behalf of the Guatemalan Nickel Company (CGN), local subsidiary of HudBay Minerals Inc., a Canadian mining company.

There is a 2-minute video with soundtrack in Spanish.