Guatemala

Guatemalan Congress Votes To Allow Investigation Of President

September 2, 2015 Associated Press, www.theguardian.com Resist! Congress, Corruption, Guatemala, Impunity, Law

By Associated Press in The Guardian - Guatemalan civilians who support the ousting of President Otto Pérez Molina have formed a wall of bodies to let lawmakers into Congress, protecting them from presidential loyalists trying to prevent a vote on withdrawing the leader’s immunity from prosecution in a corruption scandal. Dozens of Pérez Molina backers had blocked access to the capitol since the morning in an attempt to delay the proceedings, which are similar to impeachment and could lead to criminal charges. The interior department vice-minister Elmer Sosa also arrived with riot police to “guarantee the safety of protesters and congress”, and lawmakers were finally able to go inside. “It was impressive that the people themselves came and created a human chain and a path so we could enter,” said opposition legislator Leonel Lira.

Wave Of Protests Spread To Scandal-Weary Honduras & Guatemala

June 16, 2015 Elisabeth Malkin, www.nytimes.com Resist! Corruption, Guatemala, Honduras, Protest, Social Change

By Elisabeth Malkin in The New York Times - In Guatemala, angry citizens marched under pelting rain, undeterred. In Honduras, they carried torches at dusk. A wave of protests against corruption scandals that is sweeping across Latin America has reached Central America. The presidents of Guatemala and Honduras face allegations that people close to them have conspired to siphon money from threadbare public health systems or maneuvered to cheat the state out of tax revenue. Although neither President Otto Pérez Molina of Guatemala nor President Juan Orlando Hernández of Honduras has been directly accused, growing numbers of protesters are demanding their resignations. Central Americans are no strangers to such malfeasance, of course. Former presidents and their associates in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Guatemala have been tried for corruption by their successors.

Marches In Guatemala Mark Historical Moment

June 8, 2015 Jeanette Charles, www.telesurtv.net Resist! Corruption, Guatemala, History, Latin America, wealth inequality

By Jeanette Charles in TeleSur - One of the people's demands is the resignation of corrupt officials. The majority of the heads of ministries have already resigned. There are massive demonstrations planned everywhere in the country and our other demands are: 1) the resignation of the president, and 2) the imprisonment of the Vice President for her theft of 40 million quetzals. It has been impossible to shift land and resources to the poor because the government cannot go against the rich. Drug trafficking is on fire in the plantation zone, it is incredibly strong there. There are even pastors who are deeply entrenched. These pastors tell their congregations to pray for life and forgiveness, meanwhile they themselves are central to the trafficking network. Drug trafficker Juan Ramirez, who was going to be extradited, maintained and financed Evangelical churches with luxurious buildings.

Indigenous Woman Sues Multinational For Husband’s Murder

May 23, 2015 Jeff Abbott, www.truth-out.org Resist! Criminal Justice, Guatemala, Indigenous Women, Law

The indigenous Mayan communities of Guatemala have historically been given few judicial outlets, national or international, to seek justice for human rights violations at the hands of multinational companies operating in their territory. But Angelica Choc, a Mayan Q'eqchi' woman from the small hamlet of La Union in the department of Izabal on Guatemala's eastern coast, has looked to change that. In an unprecedented case, Choc has sued a parent company in its home country for human rights violations committed by its subsidiaries in Guatemala. "Those who have the money here have the voice," Choc told Truthout. "But I too have rights, and I am struggling for respect and dignity.... This demand is not only mine; it is for all of Guatemala, for all of those who have suffered from the invasions of our territories by foreign companies to extract our natural resources. This demand is historic."

Popular Movement To Take Down Corrupt Guatemalan Politicians

May 23, 2015 Jeff Abbott, www.wagingnonviolence.org Resist! Corruption, Guatemala, Politics

In spite of the thunder, lightning and torrential tropical rains that flooded the streets, nothing was going to stop nearly 65,000 Guatemalans from gathering to express their anger with a corrupt political class. The protests on May 16 were the continuation of a wave of popular indignation that has already forced two high-ranking government officials, including the vice president, to resign. It was a historic day, as protesters marched from different points across the city, converging on Central Park of Guatemala City for the “Citizen’s Party.” It was a festive atmosphere, with piñatas depicting the president and former vice president, live music, a DJ, and tens of thousands of people from across Guatemalan society. “Not Otto Pérez, nor Roxana, could have imagined this citizen’s party,” protesters sang, referring to the country’s president and vice president, respectively.

Guatemala: 1000s Protest Gov’t Corruption & Impunity

April 27, 2015 Erin Gallagher, www.revolution-news.com Resist! Corruption, Freedom of Expression, Guatemala, Protest, Surveillance

Thousands participated in a peaceful demonstration in Guatemala on Saturday April 25 at 3pm in the capital city to demand the resignation of President Otto Pérez Molina and Vice President Roxana Baldetti, and the return of millions stolen from the national treasury. The Secretaries-General Winaq Movement and URNG-Maiz, Amilcar Pop and Angel Sanchez filed a criminal complaint against President Otto Pérez Molina and Vice President Roxana Baldetti, after the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) and the Public Ministry dismantled a network of customs fraud and smuggling operating in the Superintendency of Tax Administration (SAT)

Guatemalans Deliberately Infected With STDs Sue Johns Hopkins For $1bn

April 7, 2015 Oliver Laughland, www.theguardian.com Resist! Guatemala, Imperialism, Medicine, Murder, usa

Nearly 800 plaintiffs have launched a billion-dollar lawsuit against Johns Hopkins University over its alleged role in the deliberate infection of hundreds of vulnerable Guatemalans with sexually transmitted diseases, including syphilis and gonorrhoea, during a medical experiment programme in the 1940s and 1950s. The lawsuit, which also names the philanthropic Rockefeller Foundation, alleges that both institutions helped “design, support, encourage and finance” the experiments by employing scientists and physicians involved in the tests, which were designed to ascertain if penicillin could prevent the diseases.

Mining Interests Challenged By Direct Democracy

December 22, 2014 Jeff Abbott, www.wagingnonviolence.org Resist! Democracy, Guatemala, Indigenous Rights, Mining

Conflicts over mining are expanding across Guatemala. According to a recent report by Amnesty International, the Canadian government and Canada-based multinational mining companies have played a major role in the conflicts and abuses of human rights in indigenous communities. For the indigenous Mayan communities of Guatemala, the process of participatory decision-making takes the form of the community consulta, or consultation, which has played an important role in the interactions between indigenous peoples and the government. According to articles 1, 66, and 67 of the Guatemalan constitution, the government is required to respect indigenous land and protect their communal ownership system. In the event that a mining permit is issued on the land of indigenous communities, the government must consult the population two weeks prior to the issuing of permits for explorations.

In Guatemala, Indigenous Communities Prevail Against Monsanto

November 10, 2014 Jeff Abbott, www.wagingnonviolence.org Resist! Guatemala, Indigenous Rights

Late in the afternoon of September 4, after nearly 10 days of protests by a coalition of labor, indigenous rights groups and farmers, the indigenous peoples and campesinos of Guatemala won are rare victory. Under the pressure of massive mobilizations, the Guatemala legislature repealed Decree 19-2014, commonly referred to as the “Monsanto Law,” which would have given the transnational chemical and seed producer a foot hold into the country’s seed market. “The law would have affected all indigenous people of Guatemala,” said Edgar René Cojtín Acetún of the indigenous municipality of the department of Sololá. “The law would have privatized the seed to benefit only the multinational corporations. If we didn’t do anything now, then our children and grandchildren would suffer the consequences.”

Guatemalan Activists Defeat ‘Monsanto Law’

September 12, 2014 Weekly News Update on the Americas, www.weeklynewsupdate.blogspot.com Resist! GMO, Guatemala, Law, Monsanto

Guatemala’s unicameral Congress voted 117-111 on Sept. 4 to repeal Decree 19-2014, the Law for Protection of Procurement of Plants, in response to a lawsuit and mass protests by campesinos and environmentalists. The law, which was to take full effect on Sept. 26, provided for granting patents of 25 years for new plants, including hybrid and genetically modified (GM) varieties; unauthorized use of the plants or seeds could result in one to four years in prison and a fine of $130 to $1,300. The law had already been weakened by the Court of Constitutionality; acting on an Aug. 25 legal challenge from the Guatemalan Union, Indigenous and Campesino Movement (MSICG), the court suspended the law’s Articles 46 and 55. The law was originally passed to comply with an intellectual property requirement in the 2004 Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA), and it was unclear whether Guatemala might now be excluded from the US-promoted trade bloc. Opponents labeled the legislation the “Monsanto Law,” after the Missouri-based multinational Monsanto Company, the world’s leading producer of GM seeds. Activists charged that the law opened the way to the introduction of GM plants, which might contaminate local crop varieties and disrupt traditional indigenous farming. Campesinos also felt they could lose their livelihoods due to competition from large-scale farmers who can afford higher-yielding seeds from multinationals.

Protestor Burned Alive For Speaking Against Company

September 9, 2014 Timon Singh, www.inhabitat.com Organize! Environment, Guatemala, Mining, Protest

A Guatemalan protestor was beaten and burnt to death after he dared to speak against the Marlin gold mine, which is owned by Canadian company GoldCorp. The man, who was a member of an indigenous tribe, was reportedly killed by workers from the company who doused him with petrol before throwing a lit match onto his body. Marlin Mine, Goldcorp, Gold mining, protestors, goldcorp protests, prosestor death This is not the first controversy that has hit the Marlin mine. When it was first constructed, there were multiple protests from local farmers. In December 2004, an indigenous group from Sipakapa began a 42-day blockade of Glamis trucks passing through their community on the way to the mine, but the blockade was ended when more than 1,200 soldiers and 400 police agents began firing at unarmed protesters, resulting in the death of an indigenous farmer, Raul Casto Bocel. This latest death is part of a decade-long struggle for local communities to protect themselves from the mine and its impact on the region. The stories are shocking with tales of intimidation, threats, social division, violence, bribery and corruption of local authorities, destruction and contamination of water sources, not to mention forest clearing and appalling health impacts such as malnutrition and skin diseases. The company running Marlin is Montana Exploradora, a subsidiary of Goldcorp, based in Vancouver, Canada. The Guardian asked them to comment on allegations that company workers had been responsible for setting fire to the protestor and received this response from the Communications Director, Christine Marks: The allegation is patently false. Goldcorp and its subsidiary Montana Exploradora do not condone violence of any kind, against anyone. We respect the right of all individuals to voice their opinions respectfully. Goldcorp and Montana Exploradora have adopted the internationally-recognized standards of “Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights.”

Indigenous Defeat Gold Mine In Guatemala Court

August 3, 2014 Christin Sandberg, www.intercontinentalcry.org Resist! Guatemala, Indigenous Rights, Land, Law, Mining

A Guatemalan court ruled in favor of the indigenous people of the municipality of Sipacapa over transnational mining in the area. The court says the Guatemalan government must respect the right to information and consultation with the local population before granting any kind of mining permits. A Guatemalan court ruled in favor of the indigenous people of the municipality of Sipacapa. The court says the Guatemalan government must respect the right to information and consultation with the local population before granting any kind of mining permits, according to international conventions. As a consequence the mining permit named ”Los Chocoyos” is illegal, and should be withdrawn. ”This judgment states the obligation of the Guatemalan government to respect the indigenous people’s right to information and consultation before granting mining permits in indigenous territories, in accordance with both United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People and International Labor Organization Convention 169. Otherwise they are illegal,” said Esperanza Pérez, from the Mayan Council of Sipacapa during a press conference held July 23

Politicians On Both Sides Of The Border Dishonest About Migrant Crisis

July 21, 2014 Bruce A. Dixon, www.blackagendareport.com Educate! El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Immigration, Nicaragua

What neither corporate media nor US Latino politicians will point out is that none of the current wave of refugees are coming from Nicaragua, although it has a similar history to Guatemala, Hondruas and El Salvador, and its just as poor. Why? According to NicaNet.Org, a project of the Nicaragua Solidary Committee. . . “The problem of the children migrants is blowback from US policy in the 1980s when our government trained and funded Salvadoran and Guatemalan military and police to prevent popular revolutions and more recently when the US supported the coup against President Manuel Zelaya in Honduras. Those countries were left with brutal, corrupt armies and police forces whereas Nicaragua, with its successful 1979 revolution, got rid of Somoza's brutal National Guard and formed a new army and a new police made up of upstanding citizens.

Guatemalans Organize National Protests

July 12, 2014 First Peoples Worldwide, www.firstpeoples.org Resist! Guatemala, Indigenous Rights, Protest

On June 24, 2014, 7 Toj in the Mayan calendar, Indigenous groups from all over Guatemala took part in national protests and roadblocks to bring attention to the continued discrimination and injustice faced by the Indigenous Peoples of Guatemala. Among the main priorities on the list of grievances were the discriminatory telecommunications laws and the mining and hydroelectric companies exploiting Indigenous territories. Our team took part in the march in the city of Quetzaltenango (Xela), in the department of Quetzaltenango. The march in Xela began at 8 am from three different entry points into the city center. The three groups would all meet for a larger demonstration in the Central Park of the city later that morning. Our team met with friends from Radio La Doble Vía and Asociación Mujb’ ab’l yol close to the terminal at the north west side of the city. Arriving there, it was shocking to imagine that this crowd represented only a third of the number of people that would be in the Central Park for the demonstration later on. An enormous crowd of mostly Maya Mam and Maya Kiche Indigenous groups were standing in front of Minerva Temple, with signs in hand, cheering along to chants like “Un pueblo unido jamás será vencido!” or in English, “United, we will never be defeated!”

The Desperate Choices Behind Child Migration

June 28, 2014 Alexandra Early, www.PopularResistance.org Educate! Guatemala, Honduras, Immigration, Trade

The vast majority of Salvadorans, like other Central Americans, don’t want to migrate to the U.S. They love their families and communities and would much prefer to stay and work or go to school in their own countries. Creating stricter immigration rules and deporting more children will not stop this wave of forced migrants; only giving them the chance to survive and prosper at home will. The U.S. Government could do a lot to make life better in El Salvador and Honduras. But right now they are doing just the opposite. . . only a dramatic shift in U.S. foreign policy will help change conditions in Central America and ease the humanitarian crisis at our border. The U.S. government must stop pushing free trade and privatization and start funding social programs. But most of all it must stand up for human rights. And these include the right not to migrate but to stay, study, work, speak out and live happily in your own home country.

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