Urgent Guatemala Solidarity Project Update: Ramiro Choc Remains in Prison as Indigenous Communities face Government Attacks and Increased Hunger

February 14, 2013

“We express ourselves through loving nature, loving life, loving humans, loving the past, loving the present, loving the future… I, like other comrades who suffer judicial persecution, try to defend humanity. In its entirety, not just the indigenous or garifuna but all human beings. This is our ultimate goal.” - Ramiro Choc

To donate visit http://upavim.pursuantgroup.net/english/donate.htm (Click on “Make a Donation,” then write GSP in the description space) or write a check to UPAVIM Community Development Foundation (you must write GSP in the notes/memo section of check) and send to Greg Norman, 713 W. Garfield, Temple, TX, 76501

To sign the petition to free Ramiro Choc visit http://www.change.org/petitions/free-indigenous-leader-and-political-prisoner-ramiro-choc

The Guatemala Solidarity Project makes an urgent call for solidarity on the fifth anniversary of the illegal “arrest” of peasant leader Ramiro Choc. While Choc remains in prison for his courageous and eloquent stand against repression and environmental destruction, indigenous and peasant communities face continued attacks and increasing hunger.

Choc was pulled off a bus on February 14, 2008 by soldiers who had orders to kill him. After his detention quickly became public, the assassination plan was cancelled and Choc was eventually moved to prison and convicted on trumped up charges and without sufficient evidence. Even with the conviction, Choc has been eligible for release since February 14, 2011. The government has refused to process his release.

While Choc has been in prison, thousands of indigenous Guatemalans have been violently evicted from their ancestral lands. Peasant leaders continue to be targeted for imprisonment or assassination. International press has applauded a recent court ruling in Guatemala allowing genocide charges against former dictator Efrain Rios Montt to move forward. The charges are a good step and the result of the long, brave organizing of genocide survivors as well as pressure from international allies. The genocide trial may also allow current President General Otto Perez Molina to distract the international community with claims of progress while he violently supports the continued pillaging of indigenous lands.

Perez Molina himself should have been imprisoned long ago for his military leadership role in the 1980s in the Ixil triangle, one of the areas where the “scorched earth policy” was most viciously executed. Instead of sitting in a jail cell, Perez Molina is working to strengthen relationships with the US military. He is sending soldiers to his alma mater the US Army School of the Americas, and allowing the FBI, DEA, Marines and other US Armed Forces to lead operations in Guatemala.

Under Perez Molina, an unprecedented number of mining licenses have been authorized. Indigenous communities and highly bio-diverse forests have been destroyed in order to convert their lands to monoculture for the purpose of export agriculture. As a result hunger has been on the rise in Guatemala. Even the government’s own statistics, which we believe are rigged to lower the number, admit that more children died with severe malnutrition in 2012 than in the previous year. A recent evaluation in one of our partner communities found that 75% of children suffered from severe malnutrition.

Environmental destruction has also been rampant. Gold mining requires the use of cyanide and other dangerous chemicals, and extreme amounts of water. Monoculture agricultural production is more susceptible to disease and pests, leading to greater use of harmful pesticides and other chemicals.

Communities and leaders who organize for their rights are violently targeted. In October the Guatemalan military massacred 8 peasants and wounded dozens more at a nonviolent protest in Solola. In November over 2,000 police and soldiers participated in an attack against a GSP partner community. Our friend and peasant leader Manuel Bol was recently sentenced to five years in prison for organizing in support of his community’s ancestral rights to the land stolen from them by a biofuel company. Two weeks ago Daniel Pascual, coordinator of GSP partner organization the Committee of Peasant Unity, and two international accompaniers were confronted and threatened with death by men with machetes.

The examples of repression are nearly endless. As the US government and elites continue to build their economic and military support of the pillaging of Guatemala, it is increasingly important that allies stand in solidarity with indigenous and peasant communities in Guatemala. The GSP is requesting donations of any size to our fiscal partner the UPAVIM Community Development Foundation, a US 501c3. All funds will go directly to support our partners in Guatemala as we are a volunteer run organization. Donations are tax deductible and can be made via paypal or by sending a check. To donate via paypal, visit http://upavim.pursuantgroup.net/english/donate.htm Click on “Make a Donation,” then write GSP in the description space. Or write a check to UPAVIM Community Development Foundation and mail to Greg Norman, 713 W. Garfield, Temple, TX, 76501 Again you must write GSP in the notes section.

We are also looking for help in publicizing the petition to free Ramiro Choc Once you have signed the petition, please consider sharing it with friends, activist list serves, and other relevant places. The petition can be found at http://www.change.org/petitions/free-indigenous-leader-and-political-prisoner-ramiro-choc

Who is Ramiro Choc?

Ramiro Choc is a Q’eqchi’ peasant leader from northeastern Guatemala. With courage, dynamic organizing skills and commitment to social and environmental justice he has been a leader in numerous successful grassroots struggles.

Choc was born in extreme poverty in a plantation within the municipality of El Estor, Izabal. His parents had been born slaves. At age 17 he became a catechist for the Catholic Church, teaching a liberation theology that people should not only have justice after death in heaven but also during life on earth. This ideology brought him great support among the peasant population but not among all of the church hierarchy.

After nearly thirteen years as a catechist, the gap between Choc’s liberation theology and the conservative doctrine of many of his superiors became too large. Choc was then hired by the National Indigenous and Peasant Coordinating Committee (CONIC) as an organizer, working primarily with indigenous communities involved in land struggles.

With CONIC, Choc earned a reputation for his firm defense of the rights of indigenous communities. After approximately seven years, he left CONIC and helped form a new organization, Encuentro Campesino (Peasant Encounter/Gathering).

Through Encuentro Campesino Choc continued to have success in organizing indigenous Q’eqchi’ communities in support of their rights. He worked not only with Q’eqchi’ communities but also with ladino (of Spanish descent) and Garifuna (of African descent) peasants. His ability to unite diverse marginalized communities in defense of their rights grew to threaten the dominance of the government and wealthy landowners who looked for an opportunity to silence him.

After surviving numerous assassination attempts, on February 14, 2008, Choc was kidnapped by members of the military. He was taken to a secluded location for five days, and then sentenced to six years in prison in a farcical trial.

In August, 2011, Choc was transferred to Guatemala’s notorious Pavon Prison. Pavon is infamous for the many assassinations and massacres of prisoners which have occurred there. Part of our interview with Choc after the transfer can be viewed here Choc has needed to use extreme caution and planning to stay alive at Pavon.

Choc has been eligible for release since February 2011, but more than eight times the Guatemalan courts have refused to even consider legal motions calling for his release. Since Choc was arrested the government has accelerated its pillaging of indigenous lands, in some cases burning hundreds of homes and destroying thousands of acres of subsistence crops. Choc’s dynamic arguments in favor of indigenous rights, his ability to unite marginalized populations, and his courageous commitment to continue organizing in the face of repeated threats made him an enemy of wealthy corrupt landowners. In the 1990s and in the first decade of the 21s century, Choc escaped numerous assassination attempts, sometimes being left with bullet wounds on his neck and other parts of his body. But he refused to be silent and continued to risk his life by working with indigenous and peasant communities to reclaim their rights and denounce Government violence. Now it is our turn to refuse to be silent, and to raise our voices together with thousands of Guatemalan peasants to demand: Freedom for Ramiro Choc!

The Case Against Ramiro Choc

Ramiro Choc was convicted of occupying and stealing land, aggravated robbery, and illegal detention. The government lacked the evidence to prove their case in court, and the charges are clearly based on Choc’s political activism.

The government claims that in late 2007, in the community of Barrio Buena Vista la Esperanza, Choc detained a group of police and stole their weapons. But the government’s own evidence corroborates the fact that Choc wasn’t in the area when the confrontation took place. That morning, armed men attacked the community of Bella Vista, shooting at unarmed villagers, both men and children. The armed aggressors were employed by Ileana Lemus Solórzano de Castellán, a wealthy woman with strong government ties. Castellán ordered the attack in an attempt to steal land from the community.

The community was able to detain the attackers, and the government unsuccessfully attempted to negotiate their release. Eventually the Governor contacted Choc, a well known mediator, and requested that he come to help resolve the situation as a negotiator. Hours later Choc arrived, and he successfully negotiated a nonviolent end to the crisis. He signed the final agreement between representatives of the community and the government, which the prosecution uses as proof that it was he who detained the men. But the same agreement was signed by the mayor, governor, representatives of neighboring communities and representatives of numerous government institutions. Instead of being thanked for mediating a nonviolent solution to a violent conflict – he was arrested and is sleeping on a cement floor in prison.

As mentioned above, in 2008, months after the attack on Bella Vista, Choc was dragged off a public bus by soldiers who told him they would kill him. They took him to a secluded location, and only after news of his kidnapping had reached the outside did they say they had decided not to execute him. After five days, Choc was taken to court. Since being imprisoned, Choc has suffered beatings, poisoned food, and then months in isolation.

As national and international pressure continued to build against the government, Choc was transferred out of isolation and into Sector 12 of Guatemala City’s Zone 18 Jail. Then in late 2011, Choc was transferred to Guatemala’s notorious Pavon Prison. Pavon is famous in Guatemala as the home of assassinations and massacres of prisoners. On numerous occasions, prisoners in cases connected to government corruption have been transferred to the prison and executed while there. Shortly after Choc’s transfer, the director of the Pavon Prison told Choc’s lawyer and an international solidarity activist that it would be easy to order Choc’s murder.

Ramiro Choc’s Imprisonment and Repression against Peasant and Indigenous Communities

Choc was sentenced to 6 years, which under Guatemalan law meant that he was eligible for conditional release for good behavior after three years. However, the government has refused to follow the law and allow his release.

February 14, 2011 marked the first day that Choc became eligible for release. Indigenous leaders and solidarity activists planned to hold nonviolent actions on that day to demand Ramiro’s freedom. But on February 12, three Encuentro Campesino leaders, close friends of Ramiro who had recently visited him, disappeared. Their bodies were found on February 14, floating in a large body of water near the Caribbean Coast. They had been shot dozens of times.

Choc’s imprisonment and the February 12 massacre of his friends and fellow indigenous leaders are part of the systematic repression of indigenous and peasant communities in Guatemala. Choc has courageously stood up to this repression and continues to speak out while in prison despite the great threat. Many other indigenous leaders who have visited Ramiro have been assassinated, in addition to the three young leaders who were killed earlier this year.

For example, on March 15, 2008, Choc’s close friend and well respected peasant leader Mario Caal Bolom was murdered. The government’s own human rights ombudsman’s office concluded that he had been tortured and murdered by the police. On September 27, 2009, Choc’s brother-in-law Adolfo Ich Xaman, another committed indigenous leader, was brutally murdered and mutilated by the private security of a multinational corporation.

The assassinations of Choc’s friends, like his imprisonment, are part of the government’s criminalization of indigenous and peasant human rights defenders. This repression seeks to silence indigenous and peasant communities so that the government can continue its almost daily violent “evictions” of indigenous and peasant communities. These attacks are carried out by soldiers, police, private security and paramilitaries. The purpose is to remove communities from their ancestral lands so that private individuals and corporations can profit from Guatemala’s rich natural resources.

These “evictions” usually include the burning of peasant homes and crops. Most indigenous communities in Guatemala rely on subsistence agriculture to survive. The evictions leave families facing hunger and a desperate struggle for survival. For example, in March, 2011 in Panzos, in northeast Guatemala, government and private security forces “evicted” 15 communities and destroyed over 1,000 acres of corn and other basic grains.

The corn was nearing harvest, and the indigenous communities that had planted and worked the fields were anxiously waiting the food it would provide. They were poor, but they were not starving. After the evictions, hundreds of families were left homeless and without food. Numerous community leaders were shot, imprisoned and/or murdered. Several people from the communities have since starved to death, and thousands are suffering the effects of chronic malnutrition, such as stunted development, low energy and high susceptibility to illness. The land that they and their ancestors lived on is now being used to grow sugarcane and African palm for the production of biofuels.

In many parts of Guatemala, communities that were not rich but were at least void of starvation are now in a hunger crisis. This is in large part the result of the Central American Free Trade Agreement, the US Army School of the Americas, and other types of US-supported “economic development” and “security cooperation” which have been on the rise since the signing of the Peace Accords.

Ramiro Choc is a courageous leader whose only “crime” is eloquently speaking out against this violent pillaging of indigenous lands. We call for his immediate release, and for the end of government repression of indigenous and peasant communities.

Urgent Need for Solidarity After Another Attack on Q’eqchi’ Communities in Guatemala

The Guatemala Solidarity Project strongly condemns Guatemalan government and corporate biofuel attacks against the q’eqchi’ communities of Inup Agua Caliente and El Sauce on January 5, 2012. Government police and soldiers joined private security forces in the attack, which occurred in the municipality of Panzos, Alta Verapaz.

At least two people were injured and hundreds of acres of corn, beans and other subsistence crops were destroyed. A helicopter flew low to the ground during the attack to add to the terror of community members. On May 13, 2011, grenades were thrown from helicopters in a similar attack.

The GSP is gravely concerned that this attack will lead to starvation in the communities. Several people have starved to death in GSP partner communities in Panzos since the government allied with biofuel corporations in March, 2011 to start a series of coordinated, violent attacks against q’eqchi’ peasant communities. Several community leaders have also been assassinated and others have been imprisoned.

Please view a video (with Spanish subtitles) about the most recent attack at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrP580oYw1w&feature=player_embedded

Please also read our report from September, 2011 about the attacks at http://guatemalasolidarityproject.org/terrorinpolochic.htm

TAKE ACTION

Evicted communities have asked us to try to collect funds to support their survival. To make a donation, write a check to “UPAVIM Community Development Foundation” and send to UPAVIM, c/o Laurie Levinger, 28 McKenna Rd, Norwich, VT 05055 You must write “Polochic Valley” in the notes/memo section of your check to ensure that the funds do not go towards our other efforts. Or support via paypal at http://upavim.pursuantgroup.net/english/donate.htm You will see the paypal link, and you must include the words “Polochic Valley” in a note to ensure the funding is delivered correctly

Join us in upcoming international solidarity delegations and human rights accompaniment opportunities. There is an urgent need for an organized international solidarity presence in the region to counteract these violent attacks and the starvation and misery that they have caused. For more information please visit http://guatemalasolidarityproject.org/delegations.htm

Entire Q’eqchi’ Community Destroyed by Guatemalan Government, Biofuel Corporation

October 28, 2011

The Guatemala Solidarity Project strongly and urgently condemns the October 26 attack against the community Paraná in Panzos, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala. The attack was carried out by Guatemalan pólice along with private security and was directly overseen by wealthy biofuels investor Carlos Widmann, brother in law of ex-President Oscar Berger. All houses in the community were destroyed in the attack.

Please view our recent video interview with a community leader in Paraná

The GSP also released a 2-page report in late September titled Terror and Starvation in Guatemala’s Polochic Valley.

GSP collaborators Tristan Call and Katy Savage published a more in depth piece about increasing government repression and the food crisis in Guatemala.

Families displaced from Paraná are now in a difficult struggle to survive and are in need of immediate solidarity. The GSP is working with Paraná and other organizations to help provide emergency support, including food, clothes and medicine. To find out more please visit www.guatemalasolidarityproject.org or make a check out to “UPAVIM Community Development Foundation” and send to UPAVIM, c/o Amanda Legare, PO Box 63, Marshfield, VT 05658 Write the word “Parana” in the notes/memo section and 100% of funds will go to support the community

Alert: Political Prisoner Ramiro Choc in Need of Medicine

October 1, 2011

Last week I was informed that our friend Ramiro Choc, who has been unjustly imprisoned in Guatemala for nearly four years, is sick. Yesterday he called and his voice was unrecognizable. He is in urgent need of medicine, a sweater and a blanket. We are going to try to collect some funds to help support Ramiro at this difficult time.

To make a donation, write a check to “UPAVIM Community Development Foundation” and send to Amanda Legare, PO Box 63, Marshfield, VT 05658. You must write “Ramiro Choc” on the notes/memo section of the check to ensure that the funds are not used for other purposes. Or donate via paypal, although they take approximately three percent of donations. Visit http://upavim.pursuantgroup.net/english/donate.htm You will see the paypal link, and you must write “Ramiro Choc” to guarantee the destination of the donation.

Onward,
Palmer

A recent letter from Ramiro:

Pavon Prison
Guatemala Central America
August 27, 2011

Today I have had the great visit of the comrade Palmer; in addition my nephew Luis, his young wife and first child. With Palmer we are talking about my case and the indigenous and peasant struggle that doesn’t have a way to prosper because of various reasons and motives. To the side I thank Palmer for the visits that he has made me in prison and in various communities.

For me the most painful was the death of Catalina, of Sebastian, of Alberto, of my brother in law Adolfo, of Mario and of many comrades that are falling in the struggle and I am not present to help them. To all the people who have taken interest in my case I thank you from the heart and I hope to see you and meet you soon. A true hug to each one of you. I love you.

Ramiro Choc

Terror and Starvation in Guatemala’s Polochic Valley

September 2011, GuatemalaSolidarityProject.org

Helicopters fly overhead with armed men leaning out the door pointing guns at peasants below. Masked paramilitaries attack communities at night. Murderers remain free and community leaders are arrested on fraudulent charges. Hundreds of families have had their houses and crops burned to the ground, leaving them with hunger and a desperate struggle for survival.
Read the rest of the report here

Urgent need for international human rights accompaniers in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala

The Guatemala Solidarity Project is calling for volunteers to join ongoing international human rights accompaniment and observation in q’eqchi’ communities under threat in Guatemala. Families in GSP partner communities in the region have lived the last year with the constant threat of violent attacks. Often it has been more than threats – hundreds of houses and over a thousand acres of basic grains have been burned down in the approximately 20 rural communities we work with in the department of Alta Verapaz. Three new political prisoners have been arrested from the communities in the past year, three community leaders have been murdered, and numerous others have been injured. Chronic malnutrition has overwhelmed communities as a result of lost crops and the low wages paid by large land owners.

Our experience and analysis show us that the presence of a group of international human rights accompaniers often lessens the likelihood of violent attacks against communities and community leaders. Considering this, the upcoming elections, and the fact that many communities are nearing their most important harvest, the GSP and q’eqchi’ community leaders affiliated with the Committee of Peasant Unity are organizing ongoing human rights accompaniment to last through at least through the important September harvest.

We need more participants! Community and GSP leaders have analyzed the situation and decided that there must be no fewer than four international accompaniers present at all times. We feel that a smaller group would not be adequate for safety reasons, and we will pull out of the community (hopefully only temporarily) if/when we have fewer than four accompaniers.

This is a great opportunity to share, learn and live with organized q’eqchi’ communities in Guatemala. It is an opportunity to support the peasant struggle for justice at a time when the government and oligarchy are accelerating their repression and plundering of peasant and indigenous communities and resources. It also implies taking risks, being disciplined, and deferring to local decision making processes.

Participants must commit to at least one week, although we prefer a minimum commitment of two weeks. This time includes attending an orientation process before final commitment. Those interested in joining us should email solidaridadguatemala@yahoo.com for more information and an application.

Paramilitaries Attack Q’eqchi’ Peasants after Guatemalan Government Cancels Meeting

Nine year old girl shot in attack as Guatemala continues to avoid its responsibilities as ordered by the Inter American Commission on/for Human Rights

On March 15, 2011, Guatemalan police, soldiers and paramilitaries began a series of violent evictions targeting Q’eqchi’ peasant communities in Panzos, Alta Verapaz. The purpose of the evictions were to stop the production of basic grains and convert the land to sugar cane and African palm for the production of biofuel. Hundreds of homes were destroyed, several people were killed in the attacks, and thousands lost their only source of food and income.

On June 20, 2011, the Inter American Court of Human Rights, part of the Organization of American States, issued an important ruling calling for the Guatemalan government to provide food and housing to the thousands of people evicted. The ruling also ordered the government to protect the communities from further attacks.

Despite the ruling, the families were given no food or shelter assistance by the government and armed groups continued to roam free in the region. After numerous delays, the government finally decided to hold a meeting with representatives of the communities on August 10, 2011. It seemed that the government might be willing to consider peaceful negotiations.

Unfortunately this was not the case. Just one day before the meeting was to be held, the government cancelled. Then at midnight on August 10, masked, armed men descended upon the community of Parana, one of the communities which had been evicted. Several peasants were seriously injured, including a nine-year old girl who was shot. Many troubling details of the attack have yet to be made public. The GSP fears that this attack could represent a growth in paramilitaries in the region.

The GSP is organizing a delegation this week to document the recent attacks and provide temporary human rights observation and accompaniment to the communities targeted. We are also accepting donations to support this human rights accompaniment delegation, as well the evicted communities. For more information about making a donation contact us at solidaridadguatemala@yahoo.com or write a check to “UPAVIM Community Development Foundation” and send to UPAVIM, c/o Amanda Legare, PO Box 63, Marshfield, VT. To direct the funds to support the delegation, write “HR accompaniment” in the notes/memo section. To direct funds to support emergency needs of the families evicted, write “evictions” in the notes/memo section.

Declaration of the Guatemala Solidarity Project July 2011 Solidarity Delegation

July 24, 2011

“It reminds us of the war. They are killing us, they are torturing us, and they are burning down our houses just like they did in the 1980s.”
- Survivor of recent armed attacks against q’eqchi’ communities in Panzos

We are a group of people of conscience from various parts of Guatemala and the United States. During eight days in July we visited members of the 14 communities evicted by the government and biodiesel company Chabil Utzaj in Panzos, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala.

We observed:

* The evicted families suffer from malnutrition, extreme poverty and are in a daily struggle for survival.

* The Guatemalan government hasn’t given them any shelter or food relief.

* The families demand that the government give them land so that they can produce their own food and build their own shelter.

* The government has not complied with the ruling of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

We demand:

* That the Guatemalan government immediately comply with the ruling of the IACHR, and give the evicted families land and reparations for the damages done during the evictions.

* That political prisoner Manuel Xuc Cucul, arrested during one of the evictions, be released.

* That the intellectual authors of the murders of community leaders Antonio Beb Ac, Oscar Reyes and Maria Margarita Che Chub are punished.

* That the government no longer allows armed groups, such as the Chabil Utzaj private security, to terrorize and killing community leaders in the region.

GSP Condemns the Assassination of Spiritual and Community Leader Maria Margarita Che Chub

The Guatemala Solidarity Project (GSP) joins the communities of the Committee of Peasant Unity (CUC) in denouncing the assassination of q’eqchi’ peasant leader Maria Margarita Che Chub. This murder is another act of terrorism by biofuel companies working in close collaboration with the Guatemalan government and international banks.

Maria Che was a midwife, a spiritual leader, a nonviolent activist and a mother. She was murdered in front of her children the night of Saturday, June 4, by unknown men who came and fled quickly on a motorcycle. Che had organized and spoken out in favor of the land rights of q’eqchi’ communities in the Polochic Valley, a large valley in northeastern Guatemala.

Che had helped organize thousands of people in the valley in negotiations with the government and a biofuel company which is attempting to steal tens of thousands of acres in the region. On March 14 of this year, a meeting was held in Guatemala City as part of these negotiations. The next day over a thousand police, soldiers and paramilitaries began a series of violent evictions in which hundreds of homes and thousands of acres of basic grains were destroyed, and thousands of people were left homeless. During the attacks, community leader Antonio Beb Ac was murdered, although the government shamefully claims he tripped and hit his head on a rock.

On May 21 members of the biofuel company’s private security force attacked communities in the region with snipers and helicopters, dropping grenades from above and murdering community member Oscar Reyes while injuring several others.

These and other acts of terrorism are causing great suffering in the Polochic Valley, all to clear the land for the production of agrofuels to run cars in wealthier nations. But those who have worked with Maria Che have made it clear that her murder will not achieve its purpose of silencing the q’eqchi’ peasant movement. As CUC has said, the fallen blood of our sisters and brothers will feed our resistance and struggle to defend our right to life and to recuperate the Mother Earth.

Take Action:

1. Donate funds to support families left homeless by these violent evictions. Make a check out to “UPAVIM Community Development Foundation” and send to UPAVIM, c/o Laurie Levinger, 28 McKenna Rd, Norwich, VT 05055 Write the word “evictions” in the notes/memo section of your check to ensure that the funds will go to communities which have been attacked. Write the words “q’eqchi’ legal support” to help indigenous communities access legal counsel in their own language, a difficult but important struggle. Or leave the notes/memo section blank and we will work with the communities to prioritize funding. All funds will go to our partners in Guatemala, the GSP takes no cut for salaries or administrative fees.

2. Donate digital cameras. The GSP is working with communities to document human rights violations and we have an urgent need for quality digital cameras. If you can help, please email us at solidaridadguatemala@yahoo.com for more information

3. Participate in upcoming delegations, human rights observing and human rights accompaniment in the Polochic Valley. The GSP will be organizing delegations in July and August. For more information contact us at solidaridadguatemala@yahoo.com People with experience and interest in film making, publishing articles, fund raising, translation, website editing and/or human rights accompaniment are prioritized.

Livingston Massacre Targets Young Q'eqchi' Leaders

February 16, 2011

Guatemalasolidarityproject.org

Thousands of q’eqchi’ peasants near Livingston, Guatemala had been anticipating February 14, 2011 as a possible day of joy and celebration. Instead it became a day of unbearable grief after the bodies of three missing leaders affiliated with Encuentro Campesino (Peasant Encounter) were found floating in a lake near Livingston, covered with bullet wounds.

Encuentro Campesino is a peasant and indigenous rights organization which political prisoner Ramiro Choc helped form. February 14 was the first day that Choc became eligible for release from prison, and the three were expected to participate in activities to pressure for his freedom.

Despite their young age, all three had already earned reputations for their commitment, creativity, intellect and compassion.

Sebastian Xuc, approximately 30 years old, was a “basico” or middle school teacher at the community Quebrada Seca where all three were from. “He was a lover,” friends were overheard saying. “You didn’t have to ask him for help three times, you didn’t have to ask him for help two times, you just told him you needed something and he was there to help you right away.” In addition to his role as a teacher, Sebastian was helping move forward community controlled development which would bring much needed resources to families in Quebrada Seca. The majority of q’eqchi’ children suffer from chronic malnutrition, but the Unites States and Guatemalan government continue to violently oppose community controlled decision making. This includes through continued training of Guatemalan military at the US Army School of the Americas (soaw.org) as well as the ongoing State of Siege in Alta Verapaz. Sebastian left five children.

Catalina Mu Maas was only 23 years old, but she had already become a respected community leader. “She was very proactive from an early age. She was an amazing person,” said a friend. Catalina was the first woman from Quebrada Seca to graduate from high school. She was also the first woman to become a spiritual guide for Ak’ Tenamit, a large local organization working to promote harmony between q’eqchi’ and western culture. She was an outspoken advocate for women’s rights and women’s participation in decision making.

Alberto Coc, 26 years old, may have been the main target of the attack. Alberto was well known for his leadership in the community and with Encuentro Campesino. He was a spiritual guide and took a more active leadership role in Encuentro Campesino after the February 14, 2008 arrest of Ramiro Choc. Alberto left three children, one just several months old.

The three young leaders were trained in part by Choc, who helped them focus their intellect and passion. The three, as well as another young peasant from a nearby community, were last seen on Saturday boarding a canoe to return home from the University where they were advancing their education in addition to their numerous other responsibilities.

When they didn’t arrive at home, search parties were sent out. Alberto and several other Encuentro Campesino leaders had recently received death threats and communities feared the worst.

On Sunday their boat was found, full of blood and bullet holes. The Guatemalan navy refused to join the search, saying that their primary work in the area was to protect tourism.

On Monday the bodies were found. Each had been shot multiple times, including at least once in the face from close range. On Tuesday the body of a fourth q’eqchi’ peasant youth, Amilcar Choc, was found.

It is not certain who carried out the massacre, but hundreds of q’eqchi’ communities have been violently attacked in recent years by police, military and paramilitary soldiers. There have already been significant errors in the “investigation” into the massacre, which GSP and Encuentro Campesino will expose at a later date.

The attack was an attempt to silence and terrorize peasants in the region, and in particular Encuentro Campesino. But because of their courageous commitment, and because of starvation in their communities, Encuentro Campesino will not be silenced.

The GSP stands with Encuentro Campesino in their struggle for their legitimate rights. We will be collecting funds in support of this struggle, and in support of the children of the fallen comrades. The GSP will take no cut of donations and our volunteers will work with Encuentro Campesino to make sure they are having the desired impact. We will also be posting updates on the situation, including suggested actions to take in solidarity with the communities.

* To sign the petition to free Ramiro Choc, which includes background info and a video about him, visit http://www.change.org/petitions/free_qeqchi_leader_and_political_prisoner_ramiro_choc

* For info on the ongoing fast in support of Choc, visit http://guatemalasolidarityproject.org/fastforramiro.htm

To donate, write a check to “UPAVIM Community Development Foundation” and send to UPAVIM, c/o Laurie Levinger, 28 McKenna Rd, Norwich, VT 05055. Write the words “Encuentro Campesino” in the notes/memo section of the check to guarantee the funds will go to this and none of our other efforts. Write the words “Quebrada Seca Children” to have the funds go to support the children of the fallen comrades.

You can also send support via paypal, although they take approximately three percent of donations. Visit http://upavim.pursuantgroup.net/english/donate.htm You will see the paypal link, and you must write “GSP” or either of the abovementioned funds to guarantee the destination of the donation.

ALERT: Disappearance of Leaders in Guatemala on Eve of Ramiro Choc Anniversary

February 13, 2011

Guatemalasolidarityproject.org

The Guatemala Solidarity Project demands justice for the disappearance of three leaders of the organization Encuentro Campesino (Peasant Encounter) last night in Livingston, Guatemala. Alberto Coc and two others were last seen around 6:00 pm traveling by canoe. They were expected to arrive in another community but haven’t been seen since.

A search today found the canoe, covered in blood. No bodies have been found and it is not known what happened. The hope is that they are still alive, but many fear they are dead or currently being tortured. Alberto Coc is well known for his leadership with Encuentro Campesino. On March 15, 2008, Encuentro Campesino leader Mario Caal Bolom was tortured and murdered by police in the same area ( see http://www.mimundo-photoessays.org/2008/03/crisis-along-rio-dulce-death-of-mario.html )

Tomorrow marks the third anniversary of Encuentro Campesino leader Ramiro Choc’s arrest ( see http://guatemalasolidarityproject.org/ramirochoc.htm ) making him eligible for release from prison. Encuentro Campesino was expected to organize actions on that day, but instead the search for our missing comrades will continue.

We ask for solidarity and will be posting updates on our website. On Monday GSP will join the search and support the documentation of the disappearances.

Long Live Victor "Mono" Leiva!

GSP collaborator and Caja Ludica co-founder Victor "Mono" Leiva was brutally murdered on Wednesday, February 2, 2011, in Guatemala City. The pure fire that we knew as Mono has been put out by the same violence that he transcended with his passion, his love, his energy. To know Mono was to love Mono. We will miss you friend. In your honor we will continue dreaming, we will continue loving, we will continue organizing, we will continue resisting and we will not be afraid! We will continue now with more strength, from the heart to the death!

Jan 20 Urgent: Q’eqchi’ Community Under Attack NOW

(January 31 update: Saquimo Setano used inspiring nonviolent tactics to resist the latest attack against their community, but they remain under threat. Please take the action requested below.) January 20, 2011, 7:00 pm Guatemala time

www.guatemalasolidarityproject.org

The Guatemala Solidarity Project strongly condemns the violent attack taking place right now against the unarmed community of Saquimo Setano in Alta Verapaz, member of the Committee of Peasant Unity (CUC). We call for urgent action in solidarity with the community. We demand that the Guatemalan and United States governments immediately respect the rights of the residents of Saquimo Setano, release political prisoners Jesus Yat and Pablo Sacrab Pop, arrest Benjamin Soto and Maria Elena Garcia Ical, and suspend public attorney Sebastian Cucul.

Several hours ago, Benjamin Soto was seen approaching the community with numerous armed men. At approximately 6:00 pm the community informed us via phone that they were under attack and shots had been fired. We have not been able to reestablish communication with the community since that time.

The community has faced numerous attacks from wealthy landowners Benjamin Soto and his wife Maria Elena Garcia Ical, who are attempting to steal the community’s land. Between August 31 and September 2, 2010, the landowners led attacks against the community during which houses were burned down, death threats were made and dogs, horses and guns were used to terrorize families. The government has refused to arrest Soto and Elena Garcia for the attacks, and has instead moved forward with fraudulent charges against community leaders and GSP activists. Previous information and videos are available at www.guatemalasolidarityproject.org/saquimo.htm

The current attack is occurring during a US financed state of siege in the department of Alta Verapaz, which gives the military and police extensive powers and prohibits basic rights such as the right to protest. During the attacks of August and September, hundreds of unarmed community leaders from the region gathered in solidarity at Saquimo Setano and prevented further violence. Now such a gathering would be illegal.

The state of siege has thus far been a successful ploy by the US and Guatemalan governments to terrorize indigenous communities and facilitate the theft of lands on behalf of wealthy elites – all in the name of the “war on drugs.” Please take immediate action in solidarity with the people of Saquimo Setano, whose lives are at great risk.

Actions:

**Call Jose Adrian Lopez, Governor of Alta Verapaz, and demand he respect the rights of Saquimo Setano residents:

011 – 502 – 4005 – 7829

Sample message: Governor Lopez, my name is _____ and I am calling from _____ because I am extremely concerned for the safety of the families in the community Saquimo Setano. I know that they were attacked on January 20 by the family of Benjamin Soto and Maria Elena Garcia Ical. I know that they have been violently attacked on numerous other occasions by the same family. I know that the community has filed complaints with the police and that instead of arresting Soto and Garcia Ical the authorities have responded with false accusations and imprisonment against community leaders. I ask you to immediately work for the rights of all people of Alta Verapaz as you are the governor of all people in the department, not just the wealthy.

**Email your members of congress to demand an end to the repression against Saquimo Setano and an end to US support of the state of siege. If you send an email, please cc: us at solidaridadguatemala@yahoo.com If you call, please let us know what the response was.

Sample letter:

Dear Congresswoman/man ,

I am writing to ask you to denounce US support of the state of siege in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala. This state of siege unnecessarily limits many basic rights of the majority indigenous q’eqchi’ population such as the right to hold meetings, the right to protest and the right to possess arms.

Wealthy landowners and international corporations are taking full advantage of this military offensive. On January 20, 2011, the community of Saquimo Setano was violently attacked by the family of wealthy landowners Benjamin Soto and his wife Maria Elena Garcia Ical. This family has violently attacked numerous unarmed peasants, burned houses with children inside, and attacked and threatened US citizens. Numerous complaints have been filed, but the only response by the authorities has been to threaten community leaders and US volunteers who are working with them.

Please contact the US embassy at your earliest convenience to ask that they look into the situation and defend the rights of members of the community Saquimo Setano and of US citizens in the area.

US officials are training, equipping and accompanying Guatemalan police, soldiers and judges during this state of siege and we must not avoid complicity when they use the power we have given them to repress the majority indigenous population.

Sincerely,

**Financially support communities facing eviction. Send a check to “UPAVIM Community Development Foundation” and mail to UPAVIM, c/o Laurie Levinger, 28 McKenna Rd, Norwich, VT 05055

Write the word “evictions” to ensure that the funding will go to communities facing eviction. No funds will be used for GSP staff or administration costs.

Or support via paypal at http://upavim.pursuantgroup.net/english/donate.htm You will see the paypal link, and you must include the words “GSP evictions” in a note to ensure the funding is delivered correctly.

Urgent: Contact congress to demand an end to US support of the state of siege!

See new video End the State of Siege in Alta Verapaz: January 13, 2011 Update

Please contact your congressional representatives as soon as possible. If you send an email, please cc: us at solidaridadguatemala@yahoo.com If you call, please let us know what the response was.
Sample letter:
Dear Congresswoman/man ,

I am writing to ask you to call for an end to the state of siege declared on December 19, 2010, in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, and the continued repression of indigenous leaders in the region. According to Guatemala’s Minister of the Interior, Carlos Menocal, US officials will be accompanying police and soldiers in the region to begin what he calls the “second phase” of the siege. In addition, many of the police and military officials leading the siege have been trained and equipped by the US government.

I am very concerned about the immediate physical safety of peasant leaders who continue to be targeted by the police and military, including Pablo Sacrab Pop who was arrested on December 28, 2010, despite committing no crime. I am also very worried about human rights violations by the company Chabil Utzaj, which has received US government funds and has organized violent attacks against q’eqchi’ families in Alta Verapaz. Please contact the US Embassy in Guatemala at your earliest convenience and ask them to intervene with the company to prevent them from continuing such attacks.

Sincerely,

Jan 9 Guatemala Siege Alert: US, Colombian Officials to Help “Restructure the Social Fabric Through New Model Police Precinct”

Announcement comes as Human Rights Ombudsman Denounces Increasing Number of Children Dying from Hunger

GSP Denounces Continued US Support of the Siege and its Impact on Increased Hunger in the Region – Over 100,000 Q’eqchi’ Children in High Risk

Members of the community Miralvalle in Alta Verapaz. The community was recently attacked by the private security force of a biodiesel company financed by the US government.

Action Needed – Details at Bottom

January 9, 2011

GuatemalaSolidarityProject.org

The GSP urgently denounces US support of the continuing state of siege in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, and calls for action in solidarity with q’eqchi peasant communities in the region. Under the siege, police and soldiers can arrest anyone without warrant, as well as control the press and prohibit assembly and possession of arms. We call for the immediate release of political prisoner Pablo Sacrab Pop, kidnapped by wealthy land owner Benjamin Soto and handed to police on December 28, 2010.

Guatemala’s assault on the basic rights of Guatemalan citizens through the state of siege will move into its “second phase” next week. According to Guatemala’s Minister of the Interior, Carlos Menocal, US officials will travel to the region along with Luis Alfonso Novoa, former Colombian Vice Minister of Defense, to kick off the new phase. According to Menocal, US officials will support a new “model police precinct” in its efforts to “reconstruct the social fabric.”

The Guatemalan police force, US officials and former Colombian military officials should not be overseeing the construction of the social fabric in the region. The US is violating Guatemala’s sovereignty by training, equipping and accompanying the military and police who are heading the siege. This is a thinly veiled attempt to support wealthy stockholders in the continued plundering of q’eqchi’ lands, and to terrorize peasant leaders and communities which are organizing for their rights. The Guatemalan military and police force are guilty of both collaborating with drug cartels in Alta Verapaz and of committing genocide against Alta Verapaz’s majority q’eqchi population. It is dishonest for the US to claim that the military needs to be given totalitarian power over the q’eqchi’ peasant population in order to fight drug cartels. Nor does the US have the right to impose military power over q’eqchi’ communities.

At the same time, the Guatemalan Human Rights Ombudsman’s office has denounced an increase in hunger and hunger related deaths in Guatemala, with Alta Verapaz having the second highest rate of child malnutrition in the country. Over 100,000 q’eqchi’ children in Alta Verapaz are suffering from chronic malnutrition, according to UNICEF and census information. This is a direct result of the US-supported violent theft of q’eqchi’ lands. Q’eqchi’ communities have no way to feed themselves as the Guatemalan military and police facilitate the theft of their farmlands and the new owners only offer occasional work for salaries well below the minimum wage.

Until 1944, US supported dictator Jorge Ubico applied a forced labor law in which q’eqchi’ peasants had to carry identification cards proving that they were working on a plantation. After a brief period of democracy, the US overthrew the government in 1954, bombing the capital to take control and then financing four decades of internal war during which US Army School of the America’s graduates organized acts of genocide against Guatemala’s majority indigenous population. In 1996 Peace Accords were signed, and the US pledged to support a “market solution” to the demand for land from the peasant population. This market solution has brought more profit to shareholders and more suffering to q’eqchi’ families, so communities are organizing and demanding that the government recognize their basic rights.

Their demands are not outrageous, they want to be able to eat three times a day, have a small plot of land to work, and live without government and business repression. Their nonviolent organizing has been forced to move underground due to US support towards the blatant violation of the Peace Accords through the state of siege.

Many q’eqchi’ children deeply suffer the consequences of this violently enforced market solution. As corrupt corporations and politicians shift wealthy nations to greater ethanol and biodiesel use, the US government believes that harvests of ancestral q’eqchi’ lands should be exported to fill the cars of US citizens and not the stomachs of q’eqchi’ families. Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom has announced that the state of siege will last until January 18, but that it might be extended. The US government’s willingness to continue supporting the police and military’s violations of q’eqchi’ rights will likely determine if the siege ends.

Take Action:

1. Call or write members of congress asking them to oppose the state of siege and denounce the continued government repression of the peasant movement in Alta Verapaz. If you send an email, please cc: us at solidaridadguatemala@yahoo.com so that we can follow up on their actions. Below is a sample letter

2. Send a financial contribution to communities facing eviction. Checks should be made out to “UPAVIM Community Development Foundation” and mailed to UPAVIM, c/o Laurie Levinger, 28 McKenna Rd, Norwich, VT 05055. Write the word “evictions” in the notes/memo of your check, and all funds will go to communities facing eviction. Or donate via paypal at http://upavim.pursuantgroup.net/english/donate.htm, you will see the paypal link, and you must include the words “GSP evictions” in a note to ensure the funding is delivered correctly. The GSP will take no percentage of such donations.

Sample letter:

Dear Congresswoman/man ,

I am writing to ask you to call for an end to the state of siege declared on December 19, 2010, in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, and the continued repression of indigenous leaders in the region. According to Guatemala’s Minister of the Interior, Carlos Menocal, US officials will be accompanying police and soldiers in the region to begin what he calls the “second phase” of the siege. In addition, many of the police and military officials leading the siege have been trained and equipped by the US government.

I am very concerned about the immediate physical safety of peasant leaders who continue to be targeted by the police and military, including Pablo Sacrab Pop who was arrested on December 28, 2010, despite committing no crime. I am also very worried about human rights violations by the company Chabil Utzaj, which has received US government funds and has organized violent attacks against q’eqchi’ families in Alta Verapaz. Please contact the US Embassy in Guatemala at your earliest convenience and ask them to intervene with the company to prevent them from continuing such attacks.

Sincerely,

Urgent Guatemala State of Siege Update: Wealthy Criminals Accompanying Police in Search of Q’eqchi’ Peasant Leaders; Fear of Large Scale Violent Confrontation on Monday

January 2, 2010

guatemalasolidarityproject.org

The Guatemala Solidarity Project expresses sadness and condemnation for the arrest of q’eqchi’ peasant leader Pablo Sacrab Pop on Tuesday, December 28, in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala. We are very concerned that escalating government repression will lead to increased hunger, abject poverty and violence in the region. This arrest takes place in the context of a 30-day state of siege declared for the department of Alta Verapaz, during which US-trained soldiers have the right to make arrests without warrants.

The details of Sacrab’s arrest are deeply troubling, and an example of the continued collaboration between wealthy land “owners” and the government security forces in repressing the majority q’eqchi’ population. Sacrab and other members of the community Saquimo Setana had been doing voluntary road maintenance work when wealthy land “owner” Benjamin Soto jumped out of a passing truck. Soto pointed a gun at the unarmed community members and told them to freeze or he would shoot. They ran, but Sacrab was not able to escape. He was grabbed by four or five men and pulled into a truck. The following day the community was told that the unknown men who participated in the attack with Soto were ununiformed police.

Benjamin Soto is a violent criminal rumored to be involved with drug trafficking. On August 31, 2010, Soto and other members of his family attacked the community of Saquimo Setana. GSP cofounder Palmer Legare filmed part of the attack and burning of houses, but the family stole his camera. Soto hit him with a pistol and threatened to kill him while other family members held him down. Two days later Soto and other armed men attacked the community again. Soto came on horseback, dumped gasoline on a house, and set it on fire while a baby slept inside. Complaints have been filed with the police and local prosecutors, and Soto’s family has participated in attacks against numerous other indigenous peasant communities. Soto should be arrested by the police, and not accompanying the police in hunting q’eqchi’ peasant leaders.

The arrest of the community leader also came just two weeks after Fox News broke a story about extensive US training and arming of the Guatemalan military in its supposed fight against drug trafficking. The day after the arrest, Guatemala’s Minister of the Interior, Carlos Menocal, held a press conference in which he thanked the United States for its support of the region’s police. Guatemalan soldiers also continue to train at the US Army School of the Americas (SOA, which is now operating under the name WHISC, the fourth different name that has been given to the institution). The vast majority of military officials who directed Guatemala’s genocidal “scorched earth policy” during the war were graduates of the SOA.

Fears of Widespread Violence on Monday

In May of 1978, dozens of q’eqchi’ peasants were killed by the Guatemalan military in the municipality of Panzos, Alta Verapaz, in one of the more notorious massacres of the war. Today military, police and private security continue to repress the local indigenous population. Early this year, the mayor of Panzos threatened local leaders with repeating the Massacre of Panzos if they continued to organize for their rights.

In recent years, massive amounts of land near Panzos has been stolen from indigenous communities by biofuel business Chabil Utzaj. The family of the wife of previous president Oscar Berger is among the main shareholders. Chabil Utzaj has received enormous quantities of funding from international “development banks” supported by the US.

On November 26, 2010, security forces of Chabil Utzaj attacked the community of Miralvalle, municipality of Panzos. They opened fire on unarmed peasants with assault rifles, serious injuring one community leader. They also burned down about a dozen houses. It was one of many attacks in the region led by private and government security forces in the region in attempts to steal land.

Now the company is publicly threatening to attack numerous communities tomorrow, January 3. The company’s plan to bring peasants from other communities tomorrow to plant African Palm (to use for biodiesel) where q’eqchi’ communities already exist is deeply troubling. Fear in the area is high that the community is looking to build a violent confrontation between peasants hired to plant the trees and the peasants who are living on the land.

Take Action

1. Call or write members of congress asking them to oppose the state of siege and denounce the continued government repression of the peasant movement in Alta Verapaz. If you send an email, please cc: us at solidaridadguatemala@yahoo.com so that we can follow up on their actions. Below is a sample letter

2. Send a financial contribution to communities facing eviction. Checks should be made out to “UPAVIM Community Development Foundation” and mailed to UPAVIM, c/o Laurie Levinger, 28 McKenna Rd, Norwich, VT 05055. Write the word “evictions” in the notes/memo of your check, and all funds will go to communities facing eviction. The GSP will take no percentage of such donations.

Sample letter:

Dear Congresswoman/man ,

I am writing to ask you to denounce the state of siege declared on December 19, 2010, for Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, and the continued repression of indigenous leaders in the region. I am very concerned about the immediate physical safety of peasant leaders, including that of Pablo Sacrab Pop who was arrested on December 28, 2010, despite committing no crime. I am also very worried that the company Chabil Utzaj will organize another violent attack on unarmed peasants in Alta Verapaz in the coming days. Please contact the US Embassy in Guatemala at your earliest convenience and ask them to intervene with the company to prevent them from planning the attacks. Chabil Utzaj, a major biofuel company, is benefiting from US support for biodiesel and we can’t look the other way when they use this support to repress peasant populations.

Sincerely,

Peasant and Human Rights Organizations Denounce State of Siege in Guatemala

New video from press conference at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tkxltObOpE

(6 minutes)

December 22, 2010

The Guatemala Solidarity Project continues to stand with the Committee of Peasant Unity (CUC) and other peasant and human rights organizations in denouncing the state of siege in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala.

The purpose of the state of siege is to solidify the extraction development model in Guatemala and to terrorize the communities, organizations and individuals which organize against this model. The state of siege will not stop drug trafficking in Alta Verapaz because the military is complicit in the drug trade.

Hundreds of communities have been attacked in recent years in the region by state and private security forces with the intent of stealing their land. Tonight there are many children in Alta Verapaz who will go to bed hungry because police and/or military forces recently burned down their homes.

The military has acted as a private security force for wealthy landowners and corporations, supporting their efforts to loot indigenous lands in the region. At the same time they have allowed, or helped direct, the establishment of violent drug trafficking cartels in Alta Verapaz.

In response indigenous and peasant communities have improved their organization and have demanded that the state recognize their rights.

Now the government and mainstream media are telling a ridiculous story that the military is going to fight drug trafficking, but they need to suspend basic individual rights to do it.

We stand with the organized peasant communities of Alta Verapaz and ask that people of conscience remain informed of the situation and prepared to take action. We demand that the US government withdraw all support for the state of siege in Guatemala.

State of Siege Declared in Guatemala in Attempt to Steal Indigenous and Peasant Lands

December 19, 2010

The Guatemala Solidarity Project strongly condemns the state of siege declared today by the Guatemalan government for the department of Alta Verapaz. We also condemn the corporate media’s portrayal of this totalitarian military action as part of the “war on drugs.”

The government says the siege will last at least 30 days, and gives the military special powers such as the ability to make arrests without warrants, target groups seen as subversive, limit freedom of assembly and limit freedom of the press. The siege is an attempt to steal more land from the predominantly Q’eqchi peasant population of the Alta Verapaz region. It comes in the context of an aggressive “Christmas offensive” in which police, military and private security have collaborated in numerous attacks against peasant communities.

The government also recently admitted that US troops are training Guatemalan soldiers in “counter terrorism” in the nearby department of Peten. President Colom has announced that the size of the Guatemalan military will increase by 25% next year.

During the Christmas offensive, some peasant communities have successfully organized diverse nonviolent actions to block the attacks. This will be much more difficult to do with the deployment of large numbers of soldiers to the region, including special forces patrolling the streets in ski masks.

We ask that individuals and organizations of conscience remain alert to the situation. We also ask for donations to the Committee of Peasant Unity legal team (whose members are working tirelessly and have forgotten about weekends and vacations) as well as to the communities facing attack. For more information and updates visit www.guatemalasolidarityproject.org or email solidaridadguatemala@yahoo.com

We also have a

new 5-minute video

(really just two interviews) about Rio Cristalino, a Coban community which has survived recent violent attacks from police and masked men.

“The Struggle for Primary Education in Rio Cristalino”

The teenage daughter of a community leader was hit in the face with a machete during a recent attack on the Q'eqchi community Rio Cristalino.

Urgent:

Q’eqchi Maya Peasant Communities Under Violent Attack

(includes new video)

Fear of another “Christmas Offensive” as at least one peasant leader is seriously injured and homes are destroyed

See the video “Peasant Leaders Occupy Land Fund as Repression Continues”

November 26, 2010

Guatemala Solidarity Project

The Guatemala Solidarity Project (GSP) strongly condemns the ongoing violent attacks against peasant communities in the Q’eqchi speaking region of Guatemala. We call for organizations and people of conscience to take actions in solidarity with the threatened communities.

At least three communities affiliated with the Committee of Peasant Unity (CUC) and which have worked with the GSP have been attacked by private and state forces in the last 72 hours. The communities generally have no access to phones and it has been difficult for us to obtain updates. We know that the objective of the attacks was to drive the communities off their land and that at least one peasant leader has been shot. We don’t know how grave the injuries are, how many others have been injured or how many homes have been burned.

The attacks coincide with demonstrations organized by CUC which took place yesterday in the capital. (See above mentioned 7-minute video).

We fear that state institutions helped coordinate the attacks to take place while numerous community leaders were far away in the capital city. We also fear that the attacks are the beginning of a new “Christmas Offensive.” In previous years state and private security forces have increased arrests of community leaders and violent evictions of communities during late December and early January to take advantage of the lack of legal personnel. With judges and state officials going on Holiday vacations, CUC and other peasant organizations are often unable to find an audience to take legal action against the assaults or appeal fraudulent arrest warrants.

On Wednesday, wealthy landowner Maria Elena Garcia Ical, who is backed by regional police, waited at a local bus terminal that leaders from the community Saquimo Setana had to pass through to get to the demonstrations. Ms. Garcia has led violent attacks against unarmed children and adults in the community and against members of the GSP, and has bribed authorities to create arrest warrants against community leaders. When community leader Antonio Cuc Xol arrived at the bus terminal he had to run and was barely able to escapeOn Thursday, peasant leaders organized a nonviolent occupation of the Land Fund, a Guatemalan government institution created after the Peace Accords of 1996.

The Land Fund was created to address one of the central demands of the guerilla during the negotiations to end the war: that landless peasants must have access to land. Instead of meeting this requirement, the Land Fund has filled the pockets of the rich and left thousands of peasants in severe debt. The nonviolent occupation began at 9:30 am and leaders refused to leave until the government sent representatives of various institutions to negotiate resolutions to land conflicts and cases of political prisoners. At around 5:00 pm government representatives arrived and met with a group of representatives of CUC. The rest of the crowd refused to leave until hearing the results of the meeting. At approximately 11:00 pm an agreement was made and peasant leaders began the long journey to their homes.

Early in the morning today the community Mirada del Valle was violently attacked by heavily armed security forces of a sugarcane companyo. It is unclear if official state security forces (such as police or military) participated in the attack. Later in the morning the group left the community but said they would attack again tonight under cover of darkness unless the community didn’t immediately leave the land so that it could be used for the production of biofuels.

The community La Cumbre Sacumum was also attacked this morning. We believe the assault was carried out by police but we have been unable to confirm details. All three communities have extremely limited access to communication and we haven’t been able to obtain updates since around noon. GSP will be working with CUC to receive updated information and bring support to the communities as soon as possible.

The GSP is also helping to organize various actions in solidarity with the communities which are under attack. We are asking for emails, faxes, financial donations, participation in upcoming solidarity delegations and/or human rights accompaniment from organizations and individuals of conscience.

Email and/or fax the office of President Alvaro Colom and demand an end to the repression

Email: cartapresidente@scspr.gob.gt
Fax: 502-2251-4144

 

Please ask President Alvaro Colom to end all attacks against Q’eqchi peasant communities including Saquimo Setana, Mirada del Valle and La Cumbre Sacumum. Arrest warrants against Antonio Cuc Xol, Juan Jose Domingo Pop Bol and other members of the community Saquimo Setana must be immediately cancelled. Political prisoners Jesus Yat and Ramiro Choc must be released from prison immediately. The intellectual authors of the attacks against Saquimo Setana, Mirada del Valle and La Cumbre Sacumum must be punished.

Please make financial contributions of any size to the communities being attacked. Checks should be made out to “UPAVIM Community Development Foundation” and mailed to UPAVIM, c/o Laurie Levinger, 28 McKenna Rd, Norwich, VT 05055. Please write the word “evictions” in the memo/notes section of the check.

Participate in upcoming solidarity delegations

Decriminalizing the Peasant Movement in Guatemala:

January 3-11 Join us as we meet with community leaders throughout the country and help build international campaigns to end repression against peasant leaders in Guatemala. We will meet with political prisoners, community leaders who have been forced into hiding and others who are organizing for justice. We will travel to and stay in communities that have been threatened with or have already suffered violent evictions. We will build personal and organizational relationships with those we meet. Participants must be able to contribute to creating and executing concrete action plans that will win freedom for (or at least loosen the noose around the necks of) grassroots leaders in Guatemala. Time and resource commitments of participants will vary. This may include organizing fundraisers and informational presentations in Guatemala, the US and other countries; collecting petitions; visiting elected officials; participating in civil disobedience; helping with translation; volunteering in rural communities in Guatemala; helping with research; publishing articles; or other activities.

For more information contact solidaridadguatemala@yahoo.com

December 14 update: The communities remain united and have survived the attacks, but only under threat of repeated assaults. We continue to ask for individuals and organizations to take the above actions.