The Guatemala Solidarity Project is PRESENTE at the annual gathering to close the US Army School of the Americas located at Ft. Benning, GA, November 21-23. For more information on the SOA please visit the website of SOAWatch. The SOA has a long and disturbing history in Guatemala. For decades the SOA has trained Guatemalan soldiers to repress the Guatemalan civilian population in order to facilitate the exploitation of people and the environment for corporate profit.
We have some concrete goals during this gathering that we hope to accomplish by the end of the week on Friday, November 28, 2014. Please help us accomplish our three important goals!
We want to collect at least 500 signatures calling for an end to violence against the q’eqchi’ community San Miguel Cotoxja. Please click here to sign the petition online. At the bottom of this page is an interview with San Miguel Cotoxja community leader Rumalda Pop.
We want to receive donations of $5 or more from at least 40 people. Click on the Donate link above for more information and to contribute.
We want to generate at least 75 calls to members of congress and to the Guatemalan embassy in the US calling for freedom for Pablo Sacrab. You can use the below scripts to make phone calls, but you must fill in the following form so that we know how many calls were made!
Call the US Congress Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask to be connected to your congressional representative. Here is a sample script:
“My name is ____ and I am a constituent. I am calling because I am concerned about Pablo Sacrab Pop, an indigenous q’eqchi’ community leader in Guatemala. Sacrab has been in prison for nearly four years on false charges. He has faced violence, denial of food and denial of medicine while in prison in Coban, Guatemala. I would like ______ to look into the situation and let me know if any action will be taken.”
Guatemalan Embassy in the United States: 202 745 4953 or 202 745 3873
“My name is ____. I am calling because I am concerned about Pablo Sacrab Pop, an indigenous q’eqchi’ community leader in Coban, Guatemala. Sacrab has been in prison for nearly four years on false charges. He has faced violence, denial of food and denial of medicine while in prison in Coban. I am calling to ask the Guatemalan government to immediately release Sacrab, and to respect the rights of him and all indigenous Guatemalans. I would like you to look into the matter and get back to me to let me know if any action will be taken.”
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