Human Rights Groups in Guatemala Threatened for Seeking Justice for Massacres
Human rights groups are being intimidated and threatened because of their work on the Guatemalan genocide. During his presidency (1982 to 1983), Efrain Rios Montt allowed army and paramilitary forces to murder more than 250 people in what is known as the Plan de Sánchez massacre. There has been an increase in intimidation and violence against human rights organizations who are critical of Montt and his involvement in the Plan de Sánchez massacre. Human rights groups in Guatemala believe that this crackdown may be related to Montt’s intention to run for a seat in the Guatemalan Congress in November 2007. The SJC asks you to write to the Guatemalan ambassador to Canada and tell him to urge his government to bring former president Rios Montt to justice for his role in the Plan de Sánchez massacre and to protect human rights groups dealing with the aftermath.
On January 27, 2007, The Community Studies and Psychosocial Action Team received written and telephone threats for their psycho-social work related to exhumations of the Plan de Sánchez massacre victims and with the survivors of the massacre.
On February 2, a car belonging to Otto Navarro, a lawyer who works with the Center for Human Rights Legal Action (CALDH), had its tires slashed. Later in the day, José Roberto Morales, the coordinator of the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Department of CALDH, left his office in a CALDH vehicle. After arriving at his home, two armed men kidnapped him and released him in a nearby neighbourhood. The armed men told him that they would kill him if he activated the vehicle’s alarm. Later, the vehicle was found intact, with all of his belongings, including his new laptop computer.
Between February 3-5, unknown individuals broke into the offices of the Human Rights Defender Protection Unit, the National Movement for Human Rights, and the Communication Association for Art and Peace (COMUNICARTE). They searched the office files, stole 11 computers, the video equipment of COMUNICARTE, and left human feces on the terrace.
The organizations mentioned above work on issues related to the genocide. Rios Montt has been charged in Spain with genocide, torture, terrorism and illegal detention but is still free. Vice-President Eduardo Stein says that “Guatemalans that commit crimes in national territory should be tried in Guatemala”. This indicates an unwillingness to support the extradition of those accused by the Spanish National Court (including Montt). The Center for Human Rights Legal Action and the Association for Justice and Reconciliation are urging Judge Roberto Peñate to proceed with obtaining Rios Montt’s initial statement in order to charge him for his crimes and thus prevent him from participating in the upcoming elections.
Please take the time to write a letter to the His Excellency Carlos Humberto Jimenez Licona, and include the following in your letter:
- Urge the ambassador to offer protection for human rights groups in Guatemala
- Urge the ambassador to expedite the process of bringing justice Rios Montt to justice for his role in the massacre
- Your name, signature, and your address
We also encourage you to write to Foreign Affairs Minister Peter Mackay to ask that Canada express its dismay over the threats to human rights workers.
Send your letter(s) to:
His Excellency Carlos Humberto Jimenez Licona
Embassy of the Republic of Guatemala
130 Albert Street Suite 1010
Ottawa, Canada
K1P 5G4
Peter MacKay
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6
Telephone: (613) 992-6022
Fax: (613) 992-2337
E-Mail: Mackay.P@parl.gc.ca <mailto:Mackay.P@parl.gc.ca>
Please take action immediately. The Social Justice Committee believes that your letters can make a difference, and it has been proven that personalized letters are the most effective.
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