This excellent weekly report can't be found on the web- we publish it here with kind permission from CDHG on this blog.

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INFORME SEMANAL SOBRE DERECHOS HUMANOS
Comision de Derechos Humanos de Guatemala

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Fuentes directas CDHG, Prensa Libre, Siglo Veintiuno, El Periódico, Guatemala Hoy
=======================================
CDHG
2 Av. 4-66, apto. C-4, zona 1.
Tel/Fax: (502) 22203576 /22534285
E-mail: cdhg@intelnett.com
=======================================

These are the headlines- for the full report click on 'more':

- Representante de la ONU hizo públicas recomendaciones preliminares al gobierno
- Organización denuncia detención ilegal de líder campesino, en Izabal
- Ex policía enfrenta debate por violación de mujer bajo arresto
- Vecinos de San Marcos se enfrentan a PNC para evitar destrucción de amapola
- CALAS presenta amparo contra reforma a reglamento de evaluación ambiental
- Colom presentó avances a un mes de gestión gubernamental
   more »

"Trade preferences currently in place must be the starting point in the negotiation of an Association Agreement between the European Union and Central America. Recognition of the enormous differences that exist between the two regions must preside over the negotiations", states CIFCA (Copenhagen Initiative for Central America and Mexico). We received the following press release about this issue from CIFCA:

Brussels, 22 February 2008

The European Comission must accept that the General System of Preferences Plus (GSP+) should be the starting point for the negotiation of an Association Agreement between the EU and Central America, according to the European civil society networks and NGOs: CIFCA, APRODEV, CIDSE, Grupo Sur, and Oxfam Interational.

“The European Union is proposing that the starting point for the negotiation of the Agreement will be less than the preferences already extended to Central America in relation to the entry of Central American products into the EU market, and this is unacceptable. It is impossible to aspire to a just Association Agreement if the debate begins with a reduction in trade advantages that one of the partners currently enjoys”, says Eric van Mele, spokesperson for Oxfam International.

   more »

I've got to say that I found Entremosle a Guate's latest episode (in Spanish) on the 'Value and Power of Indigenous Textiles' (El valor y poder del traje Indigena) really interesting.

The episode touches on the story of Irma Alicia Velásquez Nimatuj who is a K'ichee' Maya anthropologist and journalist. Velasquez Nimatuj has been in the vanguard of the fight for respect for the traditions and culture on the indigenous people of Guatemala. Her article on Transnationalism and Maya Dress (in English) published in the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) is a very good explanation of the issues at stake. In particular, she tells of the event where she was refused entry to a bar because of the traditional indigenous clothing she was wearing and how she then brought the first case of racial discrimination to court in Guatemala.

You can read Irma Alicia Velasquez Nimatuj's dissertation as part of her doctorate at the University of Texas here.

Interesting documentary (in Spanish) about the current state of Guatemalan filmmaking by Josue Diaz. Thanks to Albedrio for flagging this.

A couple of reviews in the UK have been published in national newspapers today. Andrew Anthony in The Guardian and Matthew Campbell in The Sunday Times look at Francisco Goldman's book The Art of Political Murder about the killing of Guatemalan Bishop Juan Gerardi. The Sunday Times publishes an exclusive extract from the book on their website.

Toby Green has reviewed it in The Independent on Friday. The Guardian Review published this on Francisco Goldman (2nd Feb). The book has been discussed widely in the US and its good to see it being discussed in the UK media. Although it goes without saying that bloggers like Inner Diablog have been ahead of the mainstream journalists, encouraging this debate in the UK. Gillian has covered the book in a number of posts on this blog.

One of the aspects of this publication is the involvement of outsiders in writing about the internal workings of the Guatemalan criminal justice system in one of the most high profile cases that pitted many power blocks against one another: the Catholic church, the military, organised crime, and the political establishments past (Government of Alvaro Arzu) and of the moment at the time (Alfonso Portillo).

Francisco Goldman as US writer of Guatemalan origin steps into the debate following Maite Rico (Spanish) and Bertrand de la Grange (French) book "Quien mato al obispo?". In it, they point to the complicity of parts of the Catholic church, the human rights community and organised crime in the murder of Juan Gerardi. They maintain that the military men Byron Lima Estrada and Byron Lima Oliva (sentenced to 30 years prison) are innocent of the murder.

Rico and De la Grange's account was supported by many outsiders, including famously Mario Vargas Llosa in El Pais. When Goldman suggests in his book that Rico and De la Grange received money from Arzu to write their book, they responded angrily and in sarcastic tone in El Periodico. According to Inforpress Centroamericana is wasn't the only time Rico and De la Grange had been accused of receiving Government money for a book. Suspicions were raised that the Mexican Government had participated in the publication of their book (Marcos: La Genial Impostura) critical of subcommandante Marcos. It's a very tangled web to be sure. Whatever the truth, anyone following this tragic episode in any depth, beginning with the events of 26th April 1998, gets the nagging sense that the whole story and all its ins and outs, will ultimately remain elusive. At the very least, Goldman's work has reignited a hope that the contrary will one day be true.

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Background

The Open Society Institute hosted a discussion and reception with Francisco Goldman, author of The Art of Political Murder: Who Killed the Bishop? (Grove Press).

This excellent weekly report can't be found on the web- we publish it here with kind permission from CDHG on this blog.

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INFORME SEMANAL SOBRE DERECHOS HUMANOS
Comision de Derechos Humanos de Guatemala

=======================================
Fuentes directas CDHG, Prensa Libre, Siglo Veintiuno, El Periódico, Guatemala Hoy
=======================================
CDHG
2 Av. 4-66, apto. C-4, zona 1.
Tel/Fax: (502) 22203576 /22534285
E-mail: cdhg@intelnett.com
=======================================

These are the headlines- for the full report click on 'more':

- Congreso restituye ley de la Conmutación de la Pena de Muerte
- Director de la FAFG recibe nuevas amenazas de muerte
- En España, concluyen declaraciones de testigos de genocidio
- San Marcos: 301 familias damnificadas por huracán Stan aún permanecen en albergue
- Vecinos denuncian contaminación de río, en Suchitepéquez
- FMM y ex candidatos a alcaldes rechazan a aspirantes a integrar el TSE
   more »

Not everyday you see an English international footballer taking an interest in Guatemalan social issues. Good on Shaun Wright Phillips for supporting the work of Education for the Children, a UK charity set up in 2003.

In the Guardian the other day there was a report by Rory Carroll interviewing six people who went to live in Nicaragua at the time when the Sandinistas took power in 1979. The portraits of the six people give a flavour of how Nicaragua and our perspective has changed over the years. It's a report that gives a glimpse of what it is to live out ideals on a very human level.


I thought it was an appropriate moment to append this report with a clip from a documentary produced by CNN in 1998 as part of their series on the Cold War- Episode 18: Backyard. It's a glimpse of sorts of that past lived out in Central America not so long ago. The episode included a recapping of the 1954 coup in Guatemala.

This excellent weekly report can't be found on the web- we publish it here with kind permission from CDHG on this blog.

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INFORME SEMANAL SOBRE DERECHOS HUMANOS
Comision de Derechos Humanos de Guatemala

=======================================
Fuentes directas CDHG, Prensa Libre, Siglo Veintiuno, El Periódico, Guatemala Hoy
=======================================
CDHG
2 Av. 4-66, apto. C-4, zona 1.
Tel/Fax: (502) 22203576 /22534285
E-mail: cdhg@intelnett.com
=======================================

These are the headlines- for the full report click on 'more':

- JED suspende actividad política en Tamahú y busca apoyo militar debido a conflictos y amenazas
- Fueron asesinados candidatos a concejal y síndico, de Encuentro por Guatemala
- Ríos Montt solicita ante CC que archivos militares sean secreto
- Río Motagua se desborda y afecta poblaciones de Izabal
- Magistrados de la CC: consultas populares realizadas en Zacapa y San Marcos no son vinculantes
- Foro Guatemala llama a población a no votar por delincuentes y a los partidos insta a respetar resultados
   more »

So concludes a recent article in The Nation by Allan Nairn by invoking the dignity of the testimonies to the Spanish court (as mentioned elsewhere by Gillian) and contrasting this with the sordid involvement of the Reagan administration and others, one now in the Obama camp, with the genocide carried out in Guatemala.   more »

This is a clip from a BBC2 documentary called "Secrets of the Maya Underworld".

More information here: Grupo de Exploration Ox Bel Ha

You can read the English version here.

PÚBLICO  Índice AI: AMR 34/002/2008  (7 de febrero de 2008)

Más información (actualización núm. 3) sobre AU 238/05 (AMR 34/038/2005, del 14 de septiembre de 2005) y sus actualizaciones (AMR 34/001/2006, del 13 de enero de 2006, y AMR 34/009/2006, del 16 de marzo de 2006) – Temor por la seguridad / amenazas de muerte


Fredy Peccerelli, director de la Fundación de Antropología Forense de Guatemala (FAFG), su hermano Gianni Peccerelli, su hermana Bianka Peccerelli Monterroso y su cuñado Omar Bertoni Girón continúan en grave peligro tras haber recibido una nueva amenaza de muerte.

El 2 de febrero, Omar Bertoni Girón recibió en su teléfono móvil un mensaje de texto que decía: “Yo > Les van a quitar la seguridad y mueren Omar, Gianni, Bianca y Fredy hijos de puta”.

La amenaza se recibió el mismo día que el periódico Siglo XXI publicaba un artículo en el que informaba de una declaración del viceministro de Gobernación que anunciaba una revisión general del personal policial asignado a funciones de protección personal.

En 2002, la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos había pedido que se adoptaran medidas cautelares para proteger a estas cuatro personas, así como a otros miembros de la FAFG. En 2006, la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos repitió esta petición. Sin embargo, sigue existiendo preocupación en torno a la eficacia de la protección proporcionada. En enero de 2006, la FAFG recibió una nueva amenaza poco después de que se redujeran las medidas de protección (véanse AU 238/05, AMR 34/001/2006, del 13 de enero de 2006, y sus actualizaciones).

El 2 de febrero de 2008, otro artículo publicado en Siglo XXI informó de que, este mismo mes, iban a prestar testimonio en España, ante un juez español, varios testigos del genocidio guatemalteco de la década de 1980. Fredy Peccerelli y otros miembros de la FAFG han recibido numerosas amenazas de muerte a causa de su trabajo de exhumación de fosas comunes en las que se encuentran enterradas las personas que murieron a manos del ejército guatemalteco y sus aliados civiles durante el conflicto armado (1960-1996).

ACCIONES RECOMENDADAS: Envíen llamamientos para que lleguen lo más rápidamente posible, en español o en su propio idioma:

- expresando honda preocupación por la seguridad de Fredy Peccerelli, Omar Bertoni Girón, Bianka Peccerelli y Gianni Peccerelli, tras la amenaza de muerte recibida el 2 de febrero de 2008;
- instando a las autoridades a tomar medidas inmediatas para asignar protección efectiva a estas cuatro personas, de acuerdo con las peticiones formuladas por la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos y la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos en 2002 y 2006, respectivamente;
- pidiendo que se lleve a cabo una investigación inmediata y exhaustiva sobre las amenazas, que se identifique a los responsables y que se los lleve ante la justicia;
- recordando a las autoridades que los defensores y defensoras de los derechos humanos tienen derecho a llevar a cabo sus actividades sin restricciones y sin temor a represalias, conforme establece la Declaración de las Naciones Unidas sobre el Derecho y el Deber de los Individuos, los Grupos y las Instituciones de Promover y Proteger los Derechos Humanos y las Libertades Fundamentales Universalmente Reconocidos.

LLAMAMIENTOS A:
 
Carlos Vinicio Gómez Ruiz
Ministro de Gobernación
6a.Avenida 4-64, zona 4, nivel 2, Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala    
Fax:        + 502 2413 8658
Tratamiento:    Señor Ministro

Rosa María Salazar Marroquín
Jefa de la Fiscalía de Sección de Derechos Humanos, Ministerio Público
10a calle 10-14, Zona 1, Edificio UP, Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala
Fax:         + 502 2230 6033 (digan: “por favor, tono de fax” – llamen sólo en horas de oficina)
Tratamiento:    Estimada Fiscal

COPIA A:

Fundación de Antropología Forense de Guatemala (FAFG)
Avenida Simón Cañas 10-64, Zona 2, Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala
Fax:     + 502 2254 0882
+ 502 2288 7297
+ 502 2288 7302
(si responde una voz, digan: “por favor, tono de fax”; si responde un contestador automático, pulsen “enviar” después de la señal)

y a la representación diplomática de Guatemala acreditada en su país.

ENVÍEN SUS LLAMAMIENTOS INMEDIATAMENTE. Consulten con el Secretariado Internacional o con la oficina de su Sección si van a enviarlos después del 20 de marzo de 2008.

Look out for the guys carrying the marimbas to the party from this clip of Guatemala City in 1903. And then this quality video of the legend that is Marimba Maria Concepcion :-)

A unique opportunity to hear Rigoberta Menchú Tum, a Nobel Peace Laureate from Guatemala, has arisen at the Department of Peace Studies, University of Bradford.

Rigoberta will give a public lecture at 5.00-6.30pm on Friday 7th March on her non-violent work advocating the rights of indigenous peoples in Guatemala and elsewhere. Tickets cost £5 or £3 depending on circumstances.

For further details please visit www.sutickets.com or contact Peter Cousins at Bradford University by emailing: p.cousins1@bradford .ac.uk

This weekend the Latin American and Spanish Festival will be taking place in the Dylan Thomas Centre in Swansea. The event is organised by the Asociación Latinoamericana de Swansea (ALAS).

ALAS is a group whose purpose is to bring together all Latin Americans and all those in Swansea and surrounding areas interested in Latin American affairs. The main aims are to provide mutual support and to raise awareness of Latin America's cultural richness.

You can download a copy of the programme for the event here (Word doc).

These videos "¿Quién es el principal violador de los Derechos Humanos en Guatemala?" are by Santiago Botón/Derechos en Acción - Guatemala, 20 December 2007.


SIEPAC is described on Wikipedia as follows: "(Sistema de Interconexion Electrica para America Central or Central American Electrical Interconnection System) is a planned inter-connection of the power grids of six Central American nations. Central America, where few electrical interconnections currently exist, and those that do are often old and unreliable, has been discussing plans to link the region's electricity grids since 1987.

The proposed project entails the construction of transmission lines connecting 37 million consumers in Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala. It is not clear if Belize, which buys much of its power from Mexico, will also be included. SIEPAC would cost about US$320 million without the interconnections with Mexico (US$ 40m), Belize (US$ 30m) and Panama (US$ 200m) and, back in 2003, was scheduled for completion in 2006. More recently, it has been estimated it would be completed in 2009. There is controversy about the benefits and indirect environmental impacts of the project."

On 15 January Prensa Libre reported that the BID was interested in seeing the SIEPAC development in Guatemala is completed shortly:

This excellent weekly report can't be found on the web- we publish it here with kind permission from CDHG on this blog.

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INFORME SEMANAL SOBRE DERECHOS HUMANOS
Comision de Derechos Humanos de Guatemala

=======================================
Fuentes directas CDHG, Prensa Libre, Siglo Veintiuno, El Periódico, Guatemala Hoy
=======================================
CDHG
2 Av. 4-66, apto. C-4, zona 1.
Tel/Fax: (502) 22203576 /22534285
E-mail: cdhg@intelnett.com
=======================================

These are the headlines- for the full report click on 'more':

- Informe de Human Rights Watch señala que la impunidad reina en Guatemala
- Recuerdan incendio de la Embajada de España y rechazan fallo de la CC
- En Izabal, empresa minera hostiga a miembros de sindicato de trabajadores
- OIT: informe laboral 2007 resalta racismo y devaluación salarial en Guatemala
   more »

January 31, 2008
 
OPEN LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF GUATEMALA,
THE HONORABLE ALVARO COLOM CABALLEROS
 
Dear Mr. President:
 
We, the undersigned individuals and organizations, on January 31 2008, would like to render a worthy tribute to the victims of the Spanish Embassy massacre, by working to clear their names and vowing to carry on with their just struggle for which they lost their lives.
 
As you know, January 31st has been declared International Day of Solidarity with the People of Guatemala.  This year we commemorate the 28th anniversary of the tragic events which culminated in the burning of the Spanish Embassy by members of the Guatemala security forces.
 
As a result of this act of repression, a total of 41 people perished in this Embassy and in the public events related to these acts of cowardice.  Many national and international organizations have demanded justice and punishment for those responsible.
 
Despite this, the response of successive Guatemalan governments these past 28 years has been one of concealment, allowing the perpetrators of these criminal acts to continue to enjoy protection, move with impunity across the national territory, hold public positions and even enjoy sanctuary and privileges in various countries in the region.
 
It is necessary, Mr. President, that firm and consistent steps be taken to move forward, in the spirit of the Peace Accords, and that conditions to reach a strong, authentic, and long lasting peace be created.  Full respect for human rights and the diversity of its people are necessary to enable the reconciliation of the Guatemalan people.

We believe that it is important to respond to the demands of the different organizations of the Guatemalan popular movement as well as the recommendations of the Commission for Historical Clarification.  It will also be of vital importance to fully support the work of the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala.
 
We consider that your government has a historic opportunity to take effective and concrete actions for the implementation of the rule of law and the governability of the nation, and in so doing,  make real the hope of ending over half of a century of  impunity and human rights violations which have “cast shadow over” the country and which has turned it into a  refuge for those who committed genocide and a paradise for organized crime.
 
For these reasons, we request that your government:
 
First: Prosecute those who were intellectually and physically responsible for the massacre in the Spanish Embassy and the genocide in Guatemala, in accordance with national and international laws.
 
Second:  Ensure justice and respect for all the women and men who work in the construction of a tolerant, just, and dignified new Guatemala.
 
Sincerely,
 
Asociación de Estudiantes para el Bienestar Internacional, Lund, Suecia
Asociación Guatemalteca de Lund, Suecia
Asociación Guatemalteca Americana de los Angeles California -AGUA- USA
Asociación Salvadoreña Canadiense –ASALCA-
Atlantic Regional Solidarity Network – Canada
Café Justicia – Ottawa, Canada
Canada-El Salvador Action Network –CELSAN-
Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives –KAIROS-
Canadian Student Fair Trade Network
Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Ontario Division International Solidarity Committee
Comité de Base del Frente Amplio-Uruguay "El Ceibo", Toronto, Canada
Comunidad Rutilio Grande – Toronto, Canada
Church of the Brethren Supporting Community for Guatemala Accompaniment Program, Eldora, IA, USA
Denver Justice & Peace Committee –CAMINOS- USA  
Francesca Lupo – Italia
Guatemala Community Network, (GCN) Canada
Guatemala Solidarität Österreich – Solidarity with Guatemala-Austria
Guatemalan Working Group of the Ontario Public Interest Research Group, Mcmaster University, Hamilton, Canada.
Jesuit Forum for Social Faith and Justice, Canada
Kickapoo/Guatemala Accompaniment Project, SW Wisconsin, USA  
Kitchener-Waterloo Mayan Project, Canada
Lakes Area Group Organizing in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala –LAGOS-  St Paul/Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Latin-American Canadian Solidarity Association –LACASA- Canada
London-Guatemala Solidarity Committee, Canada  
Maritimes-Guatemala Breaking the Silence Network, Canada
Mothers for Justice, Hamilton, Canada
Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala –NISGUA- USA
New Democratic Party (NDP) Latin-American Ethnic Committee (Ontario), Canada
No One is Illegal – Toronto, Canada
Ontario Coalition Against Poverty – OCAP – Canada
Organization of Latin American Students  -OLAS- Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada
Organización de Estudiantes para una Globalización Positiva, Lund, Suecia
Punto de Encuentro CKCU Universidad de Carleton, Ottawa, Canada
Rights Action – Canada
SALVAIDE, Canada
Shawna Greenberg,  World Literacy of Canada
Sisters of St. Joseph, Office for Systemic Justice, London, Ontario
Suzanne Rumsey, LA/C Program Coordinator, PWRDF/Anglican Church of Canada
The Social Justice Committee, Canada
Tzijolaj - Cross Cultural Communication, Ottawa, Canada
Unitarian Universalist Central America Network –UUCAN- Seattle, Washington  USA  

This is letter is attached in Spanish and English