To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the statement on the border dispute between Belize and Guatemala; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster (MP for North East Milton Keynes, Conservative) Link to this | Hansard source

This reminds me of a story a friend told me who worked for many years in a development agency in Guatemala. He explained how many saw development in terms of capital investment buying things (like water pipes). While in reality, development that did not take into consideration how the community would manage the new thing (water pipes for instance) was simply bad development practice.

The tragedy was, and continues to be, that bad development practice on the part of development workers is then often held up and used against local communities as evidence that they deserve the under development that they have. The fault, more often than not, lies with the project and not the community.

The UK government has just announced that it will suspend adoptions from Guatemala until it can be confident that its adoption processes are completely above board.   more »

We just spotted the following Westminster Hall debate on the Inter-Parliamentary Union and a mention of Guatemala:

Christine Russell (PPS (Rt Hon Beverley Hughes, Minister of State), Department for Children, Schools and Families, Chester, City of, Labour) Link to this | Hansard source

"My first involvement in an IPU (Inter-Parliamentary Union) activity was back in 1998, I think, when, as a new girl, I took part in a delegation to Guatemala, which was only just emerging from many years of civil war. The delegation was concerned that it would have to ask probing questions—sensitively—about continuing human rights abuses, which it did. We met some very brave politicians, not in formal meetings but by allowing them entry through the back door of our hotel at 6 am so that we could hear first hand about the abuses still being perpetrated on parliamentarians.

My hon. Friend the Member for Islington, North (Jeremy Corbyn) made a very important point: when we return from such outward delegations, we have a responsibility to stay in touch and follow them up. In fact, I am still in touch with one of those brave female politicians whom I met 10 years ago. I recently sent her a dossier on the improvements to our legislation on domestic violence."

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Jeremy Corbyn MP describes the origin of the IPU (early in the same debate) as: "When the IPU was founded in the period of the 19th century when the idea of holding unaccountable executives to account was fairly new. The idea of a strong Parliament did not really develop anywhere in the world until well into the 19th century, and one must say that those who founded the IPU were visionaries in many ways. It was initially small, because most of the world was made up of colonies of European nations. It started in European nations and has been an important element in promoting democracy and accountable government in Europe. It has been a huge influence in the anti-colonial movement around the world and in a whole lot of things that were spawned from that. We would do well to record our thanks for what the people involved did."

Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South, Liberal Democrat) | Hansard source

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support his Department has given to non-governmental organisation offices working with street children in Guatemala in the last 12 months.

Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South, Liberal Democrat) | Hansard source

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the government of Guatemala on the level of violence against street children in that country.

The following is an excerpt from a mention of Guatemala City in House of Commons:

Philip Hollobone (Kettering, Conservative) | Hansard source

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to help tackle the problem of violence against street children in Guatemala.

This is taken from here.

Meg Munn (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Foreign & Commonwealth Office) Link to this | Hansard source

The hon. Member for Aylesbury (Mr. Lidington) mentioned the importance of our contacts in dealing with such matters—not just international bodies, but our bilateral relationships. Let me give him a specific example. In September, I visited Mexico and while I was there, I discussed the major human rights issues that it faces with a range of contacts, specifically civil society and Mexican non-governmental organisations. We discussed the need to modernise the judicial system in order to end impunity and to tackle corruption. I heard also about the excellent work on justice reform that we have been able to carry out with the Mexican authorities through the Foreign Office's global opportunities fund. Such support is being given to a range of countries around the world.

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold, Conservative) | Hansard source

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what her policy is on the proposed International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala; and whether the UK plans to offer any support to this body.

Paul Flynn (Newport West, Labour) | Hansard source

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the human rights situation in Guatemala.

Siân James (Swansea East, Labour) Link to this | Hansard source

What steps his Department is taking to reduce child labour in Latin America.

The Belize-Guatemala territorial dispute was mentioned in Parliament (07-11-2006):

Chris Ruane (PPS (Rt Hon Peter Hain, Secretary of State), Office of the Secretary of State for Wales, Vale of Clwyd, Labour) Hansard source

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what help and assistance her Department has given to the Belize Government in their border dispute with Guatemala.

European Parliament debated this afternoon (26-10-2006) a resolution on the proceedings against Rios Montt. There were a whole series of separate points to the motion put forward- one of which was:


The motion for the resolution had be put forward by the following MEPs:

       –    Charles Tannock and Bernd Posselt, on behalf of the PPE-DE Group
       –    Pasqualina Napoletano and Luis Yañez-Barnuevo García, on behalf of the PSE Group
       –    Marios Matsakis, on behalf of the ALDE Group
       –    Raül Romeva i Rueda and Alain Lipietz, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group
       –    Willy Meyer Pleite and Marco Rizzo, on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group

You can watch the debate on a video from this page. You need to click on the time next to where the debate on Rios Montt is mentioned about half way down.

You can read this official EU overview of the EU's relations with Guatemala here.

The International Federation for Human Rights has just put out the following press release about the debate (in Spanish).

The following is a press release from the Greens about the debate:

COMUNICADO DE PRENSA - Estrasburgo, 26 de octubre 2006

Extradición de Rios Montt (Guatemala)

VERDES/ALE EXIGEN FIN A LA IMPUNIDAD EN GUATEMALA
Hoy se adoptó en la plenaria del PE una resolución de urgencia sobre la orden internacional de extradición a ex-dictadores y ex-militares guatemaltecos. Sigue la intervención de Raul Romeva, MEP de la IC-V.
 
Diez años después de firmarse los Acuerdos de Paz en Guatemala, país con el que la UE está negociando un acuerdo de asociación y que pretende conseguir un puesto en el Consejo de Seguridad de la ONU, el Acuerdo global sobre Derechos Humanos sigue sin implementarse. Y ello es preocupante en uno de los países que más ha sufrido en términos de dictaduras, genocidios y crímenes de lesa humanidad. Pero más preocupante aún es la impunidad casi absoluta de la que gozan quienes fueron los principales responsables de estos hechos, algunos de los cuales siguen ostentando cargos de alta responsabilidad en las instituciones guatemaltecas.

Sin embargo, cuando el pasado 7 de julio de 2006 el Juzgado Central de Instrucción Número 1 de la Audiencia Española decretó una orden internacional de detención contra varios ex-dictadores y ex-militares guatemaltecos, se reabrió la esperanza de que se hiciera finalmente justicia.

Así, ante la total inhibición del sistema judicial guatemalteco, la Audiencia Española asumió, en base al principio de justicia universal, la responsabilidad de contribuir a acabar con la impunidad.

Ante esta iniciativa, por tanto, cabe reclamar a las autoridades guatemaltecas que cooperen plenamente haciendo todo lo posible para la clarificación de las violaciones de los Derechos Humanos que tuvieron lugar en Guatemala y para que quienes son explícitamente mencionados en la orden internacional de detención, así como en la presente resolución, sean detenidos y entregados a la justicia para ser adecuadamente juzgados.

Así mismo, teniendo en cuenta que muchos de los responsables de estos hechos gravísimos en la historia de Guatemala han estado enriqueciéndose y acumulando bienes y capital en bancos locales e internacionales, es necesario también que las entidades bancarias concernidas colaboren en el retorno de dichos bienes con objeto de que estas personas asuman también sus responsabilidades civiles y financieras.

Finalmente, Europol e Interpol deberían poner todos los medios necesarios para proceder a la detención y extradición a España de las personas mencionadas con objeto de ser adecuadamente juzgadas.

Con solicitud de inclusión en el orden del día del debate sobre casos de violaciones de los derechos humanos, de la democracia y del Estado de Derecho presentada de conformidad con el artículo 115 del Reglamento por Charles Tannock y Bernd Posselt en nombre del Grupo del PPE-DE sobre Guatemala.

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El Parlamento Europeo,

- vistas sus anteriores resoluciones sobre la situación en Guatemala, y en particular su resolución de 7 de junio de 2005,

- visto su compromiso decidido y permanente con el proceso de Paz y el respeto pleno de los Derechos Humanos en Guatemala,

- visto el apartado 5 del artículo 115 de su reglamento,

A. considerando que el proceso electoral guatemalteco fue avalado por el informe y la presencia de una misión de observación de la Unión Europea, en la que se integró una delegación de este parlamento, en los últimos comicios presidenciales del año 2003,

B. considerando el escrupuloso respeto que se ha de prestar al principio de la absoluta separación de poderes, entre legislativo, ejecutivo y judicial y a la soberanía de países terceros,

C. considerando que durante el periodo de la guerra civil guatemalteca y con posterioridad, se produjeron episodios de masivas violaciones de los derechos humanos que dejaron tras de sí un importante número de crímenes y asesinatos y que dichos hechos, como ha venido reconociendo el Parlamento Europeo, no han de quedar impunes,

D. considerando con la Comisión de Esclarecimiento Histórico, que corresponde a los guatemaltecos la labor de saldar cuentas con su pasado y que en esta labor han de colaborar todos los sectores de la sociedad y las instituciones guatemaltecas a los efectos de alcanzar la reconciliación nacional,

E. considerando que el estado de Guatemala es signatario de la Convención para la Prevención y Sanción del delito de Genocidio, adoptada por la Asamblea General de la ONU el 9 de diciembre de 1948,

F. considerando que un juez de la Audiencia Nacional española giró el pasado 7 de julio orden de captura para 8 ex funcionarios guatemaltecos acusados de genocidio, tortura y detenciones ilegales,

G. considerando que previamente a la emisión de ese orden, dicho juez se desplazó a Guatemala para realizar una indagatoria, que fue denegada tras los recursos presentados por la defensa de los encausados ante la Corte de Constitucionalidad y el Tribunal de Conflictos de Jurisdicción guatemalteco,

1. Insta a las instituciones guatemaltecas a que cooperen plenamente haciendo todo lo posible para la clarificación de las violaciones de los Derechos Humanos, los responsables sean conducidos ante la justicia y se hagan públicos los resultados de esas investigaciones;

2. Reitera su demanda de que se garantice a las autoridades judiciales una total independencia y libertad a la hora de enjuiciar los delitos relacionados por la Comisión de Clarificación Histórica; subraya la necesidad de que las autoridades de Guatemala contribuyan a que se ponga fin a la impunidad;

3. Expresa su apoyo al pueblo de Guatemala y a sus autoridades para que perseveren en la correcta aplicación del Estado de Derecho y en el desarrollo económico, social y político que redunde en beneficio de la paz y de la reconciliación histórica;

4. Manifiesta su profundo respeto por la independencia de las resoluciones judiciales;

5. Reitera su firme compromiso de que las atrocidades y los crímenes cometidos no han de quedar impunes;

6. Considera que caso de prosperar dicha causa, se debería proceder de la misma manera contra dictadores como Fidel Castro por los crímenes y violaciones masivas de los derechos humanos cometidas durante más de 47 años;

7. Encarga a su presidente que transmita la presente resolución al Consejo, a la Comisión, a los gobiernos de los estados miembros, al Presidente y al gobierno de la república de Guatemala.

Wayne David MP, (PPS (Rt Hon Adam Ingram, Minister of State), Ministry of Defence, Caerphilly, Labour), has just made the following intervention in a Westminster Hall debate comparing the political situation in El Salvador and Guatemala. He headed up a delegation under the auspices of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).

He is markedly down beat about the political situation in Guatemala citing land evictions, violence against women and a weak criminal justice system. Sound familiar? It's interesting that he refers to a briefing from Amnesty International who have just released (18-07-2006) updated figures on the ever increasing violence against women in Guatemala.

Here's his contribution from TheyWorkForYou.com:

Wayne David (PPS (Rt Hon Adam Ingram, Minister of State), Ministry of Defence, Caerphilly, Labour) Link to this | Hansard source

I shall also try to brief. I congratulate my right hon. Friend the Member for Cynon Valley (Ann Clwyd) on securing this debate and on her consistent work over many years. She has championed human rights even when it has not been popular to do so and when it has been at great cost to herself.

I want to refer briefly to a visit that I made to central America under the auspices of the Inter-Parliamentary Union when I led a delegation. It was a good example of the effective work that the IPU can do on the ground to serve human rights. That visit occurred in the early part of June to two countries in central America: Guatemala and El Salvador. Visiting two countries was a useful experience in itself because we could develop a regional perspective and we saw the contrast between two neighbouring countries in central America.

In El Salvador, we found a relatively stable, democratic process. The two parties, the Frente Farabundo Martí para la Liberación Nacional and the ARENA party, which had been at war during the 1970s, 1980s and early part of the 1990s, were pursing a peaceful democratic process and had laid down their arms. The ARENA party was in government and the FMLN was in opposition, and we thought that there was genuine determination across the political spectrum to make the peace accords of the 1990s work effectively. Of course, we saw great problems in the country—land issues, high criminality and widespread poverty—but there was great optimism and that came across clearly from everyone we met.

To be blunt, the situation in Guatemala was quite different. The country was less prosperous with less business confidence, widespread corruption and high criminality, particularly from the "maras" gangs. It was pointed out that more people in Guatemala lose their lives through crime than died during the civil war of the 1980s and 1990s. Before we went to Guatemala, the delegation had graphic briefings from Amnesty International. Its two basic concerns were the ongoing land disputes and the high level of evictions. It was concerned about the human rights abuses and the way in which peasants and rural workers in particular were being treated.

Secondly, Amnesty International was concerned about the violence against women. I would like to read an excerpt from one of its reports that graphically shows the appalling situation in Guatemala. A mother, referring to her daughter, said:

"My 15-year-old daughter Maria Isabel was a student and worked in a shop in the holidays. On the night of 15 December 2001, she was kidnapped in the capital. Her body was found shortly before Christmas. She had been raped, her hands and feet had been tied with barbed wire, she had been stabbed and strangled and put in a bag. Her face was disfigured from being punched, her body was punctured with small holes, there was a rope around her neck and her nails were bent back. When her body was handed over to me, I threw myself to the ground shouting and crying but they kept on telling me not to get so worked up."

We had the opportunity to raise such issues when we were in Guatemala during a long discussion with President Oscar Berger. Naturally, his responses were unsatisfactory from our perspective. What came across clearly to us in Guatemala was that although the political will might have existed among decent people to get to grips with such problems, the political or civil infrastructure was not in place to do so. The police in Guatemala suffer from widespread corruption and the judiciary is both corrupt and inept. Many of the large property owners do not feel that they have a stake in the country; in fact, many live in Miami and visit the country only occasionally.

Above all else, we did not find the same commitment to democratic politics in Guatemala as we found in El Salvador. That is largely for historic reasons. During the civil war in El Salvador, it was recognised that neither side could win—neither the left nor the right, neither the FMLN nor the ARENA party. A historic compromise was therefore reached, with both sides laying down their arms and making a genuine commitment to the peace accords and the democratic process. That did not happen in Guatemala. There the army won, and democratic politics suffered as a consequence. What political parties exist in Guatemala have shallow roots. To build up respect for human rights and to crack down effectively on criminality, there is a need to enforce democracy and the political process. That is one of the lessons that we learned, and one aspect of our international work that we must continue to pursue.

In conclusion, the example of our visit to central America shows clearly the worth of the IPU. Parliamentary democracy has a central role to play in promoting human rights. The IPU, as the international manifestation of parliamentary democracy, therefore has a crucial role to play. One the of the most telling moments that I experienced in El Salvador was when one of the members of the assembly who belonged to the left-wing FMLN said to me, "Mr. David, at one time my colleague"—he pointed to a friend of his from the ARENA party—"and I were literally trying to kill each other in the civil war. Today, although we have political differences, we are nevertheless friends in the legislative assembly." That better than anything else illustrates the importance of parliamentary democracy and the work of the IPU.

It was interesting to read about the recent (all too rare) debate on Latin America and recent political changes across the continent. You can read the debate in full here.

Guatemala was mentioned. In particular by Jeremy Corbyn MP who was in Guatemala a few months ago. In his speech in the debate, he said this in relation to Guatemala:

"The issues also relate to land ownership and access to land. Early this year, I visited Guatemala. I was travelling by bus, and the main road to Guatemala City from the Mexican border was closed for about a week, with gaps on and off when it was opened, because of a peasant demonstration about land ownership which had occupied the main highway.

The reaction of the travellers on the bus and at the bus station was interesting. They were all greatly inconvenienced, because they had to wait 24, 36 or 48 hours to travel, but they showed great sympathy for the peasants who had occupied the road to stop the traffic going through.

Guatemala has come through the most horrific civil war. In its aftermath, the levels of crime are unbelievably high, as many demobilised fighters from both sides have kept their weapons and turned to crime instead. That brings up questions about structures of government, human rights and all the accompanying issues in the region."

Thanks to a GSN member, John Hampson, for asking his MP to make the following parliamentary question:

Tom Levitt (PPS (Rt Hon Hilary Benn, Secretary of State), Department for International Development, High Peak, Labour) Hansard source

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the likelihood of bringing to justice those responsible for mass killings in Guatemala in the 1980s; and if he will make representations to the government of Guatemala on this matter.

Has someone from Buckingham being writing letters about Guatemala to their Conservative MP John Bercow? It's great to see his interest in Guatemala. He recently asked two questions in as many days in the House of Commons about the current situation in Guatemala with regards death squads and after hurricane Stan in October 2005.

Here is part of Gareth Thomas's (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for International Development) response on the situation in Guatemala after Stan.

A key reconstruction priority was ensuring access to safe reliable water, and much of the rehabilitation effort has focused on this. Waterborne disease remains a risk for affected communities and the Ministry of Health have been supported in the provision of transportation services, basic health kits including mosquito nets, and training for communities in health and nutrition awareness. Overall progress in reconstructing sanitation units has been slow, which in many cases has only reached 10 per cent. of target so far. However, some areas have benefited from intensive NGO efforts to ensure safe water, with as many as 10,000 water filters being provided and treatment plants in three municipalities. The installation of systems has been undertaken in close conjunction with local government authorities and communities to ensure sustainability.

Children have been badly affected by the hurricane the most, and those who remain in shelters will continue to receive psychological and educational support from rehabilitation partners. A continuing concern is the restoration of the livelihoods of the communities affected, either through agricultural support to those who returned to their homes, or through income generation opportunities for those who remain in shelters or have been relocated. DFID and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) have been in discussions with the Guatemalan Government to assess how those worst affected by Stan can begin to rehabilitate their livelihoods."

The House of Commons debated the issue of violence against women yesterday (09-03-06). The debate coincided with International Women's Day. David Taylor, Labour MP for North West Leicestershire rose the issue of the violence against women in Guatemala. He called on the UK Minsters to work on improving links with their counterparts in Guatemala to help improve the current situation.

Special thanks to Megan Anderson, Sophie Barker, Gemma Haywood and James Grant of Ibstock community college for writing to their MP and raising this issue. Solidarity in action!

Here is the full text of David Taylor's contribution to the debate:

"I am grateful to be called today and, in the light of the large number of hon. Members here, I shall try to keep my remarks very brief indeed.

The Minister referred to the co-operation between our Government and European and worldwide Governments. I should like to bring to the Chamber's attention the position in Guatemala, which is a particularly appalling case in terms of the treatment of women. I pay tribute to Megan Anderson, Sophie Barker, Gemma Haywood and James Grant of Ibstock community college in my constituency, who recently wrote to alert me to the appalling crimes that are being committed in that country.

I contacted the two Ministers in the Department for International Development earlier this year, asking what was being done to help the Guatemalan authorities to reduce the incidence of violent crime against Guatemalan women. To put the matter into context, 1,000 Guatemalan women have been murdered in the past two years. That is in a country of about 13 million people—a fifth of the size of this country. One could only imagine the impact of such appalling atrocities if 5,000 women were killed over a two-year period in this country. The Under-Secretary of State for International Development reassured me about the contacts that had been made with the Guatemalan presidential commission on human rights and the fact that our country, I am pleased to say, provides 18 per cent. of the funding for European Community programmes to Guatemala in that respect.

The second question that I raised was with the Minister for Europe, asking what contacts he had had with his Guatemalan counterpart about the status and treatment of Guatemalan women. Although that had not been discussed in any detail, on 7 October 2005, officials from the British embassy in Guatemala met a representative from the Guatemalan human rights prosecutors office to discuss the serious rise in violent acts against women in that country. A representative from Guatemala's network for the prevention of violence against women was also present.

I was relieved to hear the Minister talk about the European and international links that have been established by our Government, because the position in Guatemala is extraordinarily depressing and tragic. Many women and girls in Guatemala live with gender-based violence. Violence against women in the family, rape and sexual harassment in the workplace are common, and women and young girls are the victims of commercial trafficking and, as we have heard from two speakers, sexual exploitation. Most appallingly of all, police officers have been implicated in cases of sexual violence in that country. A number of victims of the killings—I have given an indication of the scale—were under 18 years of age.

The United Nations special rapporteur on violence looked into this dreadful example of a country allowing violence against women, and he found that the Guatemalan Government were failing in their international obligation to prevent, investigate and prosecute violence against women. Last year, a special police unit was established to investigate and prevent crimes against women, but it was reportedly insufficiently resourced to deal with the scale of the problem.

It is not all bleak in Guatemala: more women there go out to work than have ever done so before, and they stay in education for longer and express themselves more freely than ever before. However, in much of the country their reward is the perpetual fear of violent, sudden death. Prostitutes and female gang members are at the most serious risk, but the death toll includes women from all walks of life.

Let me conclude with a reference to Amnesty International that links with the remarks of my hon. Friend the Member for Calder Valley (Chris McCafferty). Independent assessors have established the reasons for the dreadful position in Guatemala, where three and a half decades of internal conflict have produced cheap guns and a culture of violence, which has worsened the position. First, there is no respect for the body; people feel that they can treat women however they like—that is almost a cultural expectation. Secondly and finally, there is the idea that women are somebody's property. Those values need to be challenged. In a recent report, Amnesty International called on the Guatemalan Government to improve public education, inject real urgency into criminal investigations and reform outdated laws on rape and sexual violence.

Yesterday was international women's day, and I am delighted with the achievements of our Government. I come from a female-dominated household, with four daughters and lots of sisters and sisters-in-law, so I feel that I have the privilege of being able to contribute to the debate on their behalf. Our Government's natural focus and priority has been within the United Kingdom, but they will reach out to other countries. I urge both Ministers present to see what they can do to establish links with, and improve the appalling position of, women in Guatemala."

You can read the speech in the context of the debate here.

Below is a list of the MPs and MEPs who have asked a question about Guatemala or who've mentioned Guatemala in a speech in the House of Commons or European Parliament. You can contact the MP via TheyWorkForYou.com by clicking on their name:

2006

Chris Ruane MP (Labour)

Dr Charles Tannock MEP (Conservative - London)

Wayne David MP (Labour)

John Bercow MP (Conservative)
Jeremy Corbyn MP (Labour)
Tom Levitt MP (Labour)
David Taylor MP (Labour)

2005

Tony Lloyd MP (Labour)
John Bercow MP (Conservative)