Guatemala Urgent Action
Update April 26, 2002.
On this fourth anniversary of the assassination of Msgr. Gerardi, the situation of human rights defenders in Guatemala continues to be dangerous,
Another Catholic priest who works for human rights, Father Rigoberto Perez, has received death threats. He is the parish priest of Santa Maria Nebaj, in Quiche, and he works in a program that compensates communities affected by the civil war. Their parish building was set on fire in February of this year, under suspicious circumstances. The Human Rights Office of the Archbishop of Guatemala asked for precautionary measures from the Inter–American Commission on Human Rights to protect Father Rigoberto Perez. They denounced the threats to Father Perez and to other members of the same program. The announcement was done on April 24, on the fourth anniversary of the presentation of the "Guatemala Never Again" Report.
If you have not replied to the urgent action on the case of the threats to Msgr. Ramazzini yet, please consider adding Father Perez to the list of people in danger for their human rights work.
March 14, 2002 # 984
About 1,500 campesinos occupied the facilities and management offices of a San Luis plantation in the municipality of Malacatan, San Marcos department, on February 26. They have demanded that the President of Guatemala, Alfonso Portillo, send a commission to solve this situation. The campesinos argue that they own the land since the Agrarian Reform of 1944, under the presidency of Jacobo Arbenz. They say that extreme poverty forces them to reclaim their land, even knowing that they run the risk to be repressed by the swat team of the police, which is already present there.
They have been complaining to the authorities about rampant unemployment and hunger for a long time, without results; and they had been demonstrating around the plantation since February 13.
A spokesperson of the Coordinating Office of the Campesino Organizations (Coordinadora Nacional de Organizaciones Campesinas, CNOC) had announced that there would be several occupations of plantations in response to unemployment and hunger. He said that the campesinos do not have the means to feed their families and that "these measures will continue until the government solves the problem."
The owners association (Chamber of Agriculture) has declared that they "will defend their properties, according to law". Their Vice–President put the responsibility of the problem on the government. The Association also accused the Archdiocese of San Marcos, and a federation of unions and popular organizations (UASP) of manipulating the campesinos and inducing them to occupy the San Luis plantation.
A leader of UASP said that he had no knowledge of anybody from their organization participating in the occupation of land but he expressed support for this type of actions due to the urgency of the agrarian problem.
A parish priest in the Department of San Marcos, Father Juan Jose Aldaz, has received death threats from armed unknown persons. He is not related to the San Luis plantation but his Parish is in a plantations zone in the same Department. He has helped refugees returning to Guatemala (after they had fled from the armed conflict) and provided them and other campesinos with health care.
The Bishop of San Marcos, Monsignor Alvaro Ramazzini, expressed his support for the priest and he asked the Church and all Christians to show their solidarity and their commitment to stop those sectors of society that want to go back to a past with repression and persecutions and threats. Bishop Ramazinni requested that the government provide protection for Father Aldaz and asked the United Nations Human Rights Verification Mission to Guatemala (MINUGUA), to verify that the Public Prosecutor's office is investigating the case
After this expression of support for Father Aldaz, Monsignor Ramazzini, has been accused by the Chambert of Agriculture of being a "heavily armed" leader of the land occupation, they called him "Comandante Ramazzini". Bishop Ramazzini denied any involvement of any member of the Diocese in inducing or pressing the campesinos to occupy the land. He explained that the campesinos had asked for a place to have negotiations, if there were any, and also asked for a representative of the church to be present as a witness. He added that the campesinos said they had documents that prove their ownership of the land.
Bishop Ramazzini said that the problem at this plantation is a reflection of what is happening in the whole country, that the sectors of the population usually excluded, such as the campesinos and the indigenous people, do not have access to the goods and resources that they need as human beings.
Threats by unknown caller were received at the Diocesan radio of San Marcos. The caller said that the Church would be given a surprise, hitting where it would hurt the most, this threats are understood as death threats to Monsignor Ramazzini.
Bishop Ramazzini has said that neither the Chamber of Agriculture nor the owners of the San Luis plantation have approached the Archdiocese to clarify the different points of view. He added that their irresponsible declarations have created anguish and distrust, and they can be considered directly or indirectly responsible for the threats.
We must remember that the context of these threats is a country where another Bishop, Monsignor Juan Gerardi, was assassinated in 1998 as a result of his outspoken position in defense of human rights, and many other Guatemalans have being attacked and killed because of their work as human rights defenders.
March 11, 2002 – Violent expulsion at a plantation in Morales, Izabal. – About 900 campesinos had been occupying a plantation for 37 days. The National Civil Police forced them out. One person is dead and two were detained. The campesinos said that the presence of armed men made them ask for help from the local government and from the local office of the Human Rights Ombudsman. They say that after that, the police came and opened fire. The Committee of Campesino Unity (Comite de Unidad Campesina – CUC) accused the owners of the plantation of being responsible for the outcome of the incident. The President of the Chamber of Agriculture disagrees: "These campesinos occupied the plantation and the owners simply called the police".
March 5, 2002 –Forensic experts working on exhumations of clandestine cemeteries (of victims of the armed conflict) denounced death threats against eleven of them. They work at the Guatemalan Forensic Anthropology Foundation, the Centre for Forensic Anthropology and Applied Sciences and at the Exhumations Unit of the Human Rights Office of the Archdiocese. The Foundation started its work in 1992; they have excavated 191 clandestine graves and found more than two thousand skeletons.
February 20, 2002 – Vice–President of Guatemala, Francisco Reyes has been charged with being implicated in the assassination of Cesar Rodas. Rodas denounced that pamphlets against a businessman openly critical of the government had been printed with government money and under Reyes' orders. Human rights organizations have brought the case to MINUGUA (UN Mission in Guatemala) and to the Inter American Court of Human Rights.
Please write to the Governments of Guatemala and Canada expressing your concerns (please see model letters) Please send the suggested solidarity copies.
We are asking you to send several copies of your letter to the President of Guatemala:
Canadian Government Addresses
Hon. Bill Graham, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
125 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0G2
fax 1 613 996 9607
e–mail Graham.B@PARL.GC.CA
Ambassador Allan Culham
Canadian Embassy in Guatemala
13 Calle 8–44, Zona 10, Edyma Plaza, 8 Nivel, Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala
fax: 011 502 333 6161
e–mail: GTMLA@DFAIT-MAECI.GC.CA
We strongly suggest that you send a copy of your letter to your Member of Parliament
Guatemalan authorities
President Alfonso Portillo
Palacio Nacional, Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala
fax: 011 502 238 3579 or 011 502 239 0090 or 011 502 239 0076
e–mail: MENSAJES@PRESIDENTEPORTILLO.GOB.GT or COPREDEH@GUATE.NET
Ambassador Carlos Humberto Jimenez,
Guatemalan Embassy in Canada
130 Albert Street, Suite 1010, Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5G4
fax: 1 613 233 0135
e–mail: embguate@webruler.com
Gerd Merren – Jefe de Mision
MINUGUA (UN Mission in Guatemala)
Boulevard Los Proceres 18–67, Zona 10, Guatemala City, Guatemala
Fax: 011 502 279 3214
e–mail: GMERREN@UN.GUATE.NET or
OIP–INFO@UN.GUATE.NET (please put Mr. Merre's name on the "Subject" line)
Procurador de los Derechos Humanos [Human Rights Ombudasman]
12 Avenida 12–72, Zona1, Guatemala City, Guatemala
fax: 011 502 238 1734
e–mail: OPDHG@GUATENET.NET.GT
Please send solidarity copies to:
Monsignor Alvaro Ramazzini, Bishop of San Marcos
Casa Diocesana
10 Avenida 6–28, Zona 4, San Marcos, Guatemala
fax: 011 502 760 2315
e–mail: ALVARORA@AMIGO.NET.GT
Comite de Unidad Campesina (CUC)
31 Avenida A 14–46 Zona 7, Ciudad de Plata II, Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala
fax: 011 502 434 9754
e–mail: cuc@guate.net
If possible, please send us a copy of your messages to the governments and NGOs, and your letters to the Editor:
Social Justice Committee – Canada (SJC)
1857 de Maisonneuve West, suite 320, Montreal, QC, H3H 1J9
e–mail: sjc@web.ca
We can forward your messages to Guatemalan NGOs. – Thank you for your solidarity!
Montreal, Canada, March 13, 2002
President Alfonso Portillo
Palacio Nacional, Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala
Mr. President,
The Social Justice Committee is a Canadian non–profit organization working for human rights in Central America for more than 25 years. We are very concerned with the fragile situation of human rights in Guatemala. We know that there are many matters that require your attention at this moment but we are respectfully asking you that you pay special attention to the desperate situation of the campesinos. Their struggle for their rights put their lives in danger as well as endangering those who try to help them.
Hunger, poverty, and rampant unemployment are forcing campesinos to resort to desperate measures, such as land occupations where they know they are risking their lives at the hands of private security or the police.
They occupy land because working in agriculture is the only way they know how to make a living. As you know, Mr President, Guatemala has ratified two international Agreements that recognize the right to work: the United Nations' International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ratified in 1988) and the Organization of American States' Protocol of San Salvador (Additional Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights in the Area of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights), ratified in 2000.
In addition to that, the Accord on Socio–Economic and Agrarian Issues mandated the establishment of a Land Fund to distribute farmland to poor campesinos by January 1997 and it created a nationwide rural property registry to ascertain legality of land titles and resolve conflicting land claims. In other words, the campesinos are asking that the Peace Accords be implemented. Given that there are precedents of campesinos being killed during land occupations, we respectfully ask you to implement a prompt resolution of this land conflict.
Mr. President, we would like to ask you also to ensure the safety of those helping these campesinos, the human right defenders. We are especially concerned for the lives of the Bishop of San Marcos, Monsignor Alvaro Ramazzini, and of Father Juan Jose Aldaz, a Priest of the same diocese of San Marcos. We urge you to order an immediate investigation on the threats directed to them. The Government of Guatemala has the responsibility to respect and promote human rights according to the Constitution of the Republic of Guatemala; and this commitment is reiterated in the Preamble of one of the Peace Accords, the Global Accord on Human Rights. In addition to that, the Organization of American States (OAS) adopted, on June 5, 2000, the resolution "Human Rights Defenders in The Americas: Support for the Individuals, Groups, and Organizations of Civil Society Working to Promote and Protect Human Rights in the Americas" and United Nations adopted, on December 9, 1998, the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders. In other words, the government of Guatemala is bound by national and international agreements to support and protect human rights defenders.
Mr President, we are confident you will ensure that the State of Guatemala complies with its obligations to respect, protect and fulfil the human rights of all Guatemalans.
Sincerely,
Cc: Hon. Bill Graham, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
Ambassador Allan Culham, Canadian Embassy in Guatemala
Update April 26, 2002.
On this fourth anniversary of the assassination of Msgr. Gerardi, the situation of human rights defenders in Guatemala continues to be dangerous,
Another Catholic priest who works for human rights, Father Rigoberto Perez, has received death threats. He is the parish priest of Santa Maria Nebaj, in Quiche, and he works in a program that compensates communities affected by the civil war. Their parish building was set on fire in February of this year, under suspicious circumstances. The Human Rights Office of the Archbishop of Guatemala asked for precautionary measures from the Inter–American Commission on Human Rights to protect Father Rigoberto Perez. They denounced the threats to Father Perez and to other members of the same program. The announcement was done on April 24, on the fourth anniversary of the presentation of the "Guatemala Never Again" Report.
If you have not replied to the urgent action on the case of the threats to Msgr. Ramazzini yet, please consider adding Father Perez to the list of people in danger for their human rights work.
March 14, 2002 # 984
Hunger and rampant unemployment force hundreds of campesinos to occupy plantation. Bishop receives death threats after expressing support for campesinos.
About 1,500 campesinos occupied the facilities and management offices of a San Luis plantation in the municipality of Malacatan, San Marcos department, on February 26. They have demanded that the President of Guatemala, Alfonso Portillo, send a commission to solve this situation. The campesinos argue that they own the land since the Agrarian Reform of 1944, under the presidency of Jacobo Arbenz. They say that extreme poverty forces them to reclaim their land, even knowing that they run the risk to be repressed by the swat team of the police, which is already present there.
They have been complaining to the authorities about rampant unemployment and hunger for a long time, without results; and they had been demonstrating around the plantation since February 13.
A spokesperson of the Coordinating Office of the Campesino Organizations (Coordinadora Nacional de Organizaciones Campesinas, CNOC) had announced that there would be several occupations of plantations in response to unemployment and hunger. He said that the campesinos do not have the means to feed their families and that "these measures will continue until the government solves the problem."
The owners association (Chamber of Agriculture) has declared that they "will defend their properties, according to law". Their Vice–President put the responsibility of the problem on the government. The Association also accused the Archdiocese of San Marcos, and a federation of unions and popular organizations (UASP) of manipulating the campesinos and inducing them to occupy the San Luis plantation.
A leader of UASP said that he had no knowledge of anybody from their organization participating in the occupation of land but he expressed support for this type of actions due to the urgency of the agrarian problem.
A parish priest in the Department of San Marcos, Father Juan Jose Aldaz, has received death threats from armed unknown persons. He is not related to the San Luis plantation but his Parish is in a plantations zone in the same Department. He has helped refugees returning to Guatemala (after they had fled from the armed conflict) and provided them and other campesinos with health care.
The Bishop of San Marcos, Monsignor Alvaro Ramazzini, expressed his support for the priest and he asked the Church and all Christians to show their solidarity and their commitment to stop those sectors of society that want to go back to a past with repression and persecutions and threats. Bishop Ramazinni requested that the government provide protection for Father Aldaz and asked the United Nations Human Rights Verification Mission to Guatemala (MINUGUA), to verify that the Public Prosecutor's office is investigating the case
After this expression of support for Father Aldaz, Monsignor Ramazzini, has been accused by the Chambert of Agriculture of being a "heavily armed" leader of the land occupation, they called him "Comandante Ramazzini". Bishop Ramazzini denied any involvement of any member of the Diocese in inducing or pressing the campesinos to occupy the land. He explained that the campesinos had asked for a place to have negotiations, if there were any, and also asked for a representative of the church to be present as a witness. He added that the campesinos said they had documents that prove their ownership of the land.
Bishop Ramazzini said that the problem at this plantation is a reflection of what is happening in the whole country, that the sectors of the population usually excluded, such as the campesinos and the indigenous people, do not have access to the goods and resources that they need as human beings.
Threats by unknown caller were received at the Diocesan radio of San Marcos. The caller said that the Church would be given a surprise, hitting where it would hurt the most, this threats are understood as death threats to Monsignor Ramazzini.
Bishop Ramazzini has said that neither the Chamber of Agriculture nor the owners of the San Luis plantation have approached the Archdiocese to clarify the different points of view. He added that their irresponsible declarations have created anguish and distrust, and they can be considered directly or indirectly responsible for the threats.
We must remember that the context of these threats is a country where another Bishop, Monsignor Juan Gerardi, was assassinated in 1998 as a result of his outspoken position in defense of human rights, and many other Guatemalans have being attacked and killed because of their work as human rights defenders.
Background Information on other cases of human rights abuses in Guatemala
March 11, 2002 – Violent expulsion at a plantation in Morales, Izabal. – About 900 campesinos had been occupying a plantation for 37 days. The National Civil Police forced them out. One person is dead and two were detained. The campesinos said that the presence of armed men made them ask for help from the local government and from the local office of the Human Rights Ombudsman. They say that after that, the police came and opened fire. The Committee of Campesino Unity (Comite de Unidad Campesina – CUC) accused the owners of the plantation of being responsible for the outcome of the incident. The President of the Chamber of Agriculture disagrees: "These campesinos occupied the plantation and the owners simply called the police".
March 5, 2002 –Forensic experts working on exhumations of clandestine cemeteries (of victims of the armed conflict) denounced death threats against eleven of them. They work at the Guatemalan Forensic Anthropology Foundation, the Centre for Forensic Anthropology and Applied Sciences and at the Exhumations Unit of the Human Rights Office of the Archdiocese. The Foundation started its work in 1992; they have excavated 191 clandestine graves and found more than two thousand skeletons.
February 20, 2002 – Vice–President of Guatemala, Francisco Reyes has been charged with being implicated in the assassination of Cesar Rodas. Rodas denounced that pamphlets against a businessman openly critical of the government had been printed with government money and under Reyes' orders. Human rights organizations have brought the case to MINUGUA (UN Mission in Guatemala) and to the Inter American Court of Human Rights.
Background Information on Socio–Economic Rights
- Peace Accords The issue of land–ownership and poverty is at the root of socio–economic problems
in Guatemala and one of the main causes for the more than 30 year-long armed conflict that ended in 1996. The
Accord on Socio–Economic Aspects and the Agrarian Situation was signed on May 6, 1996, and became part of
the final Accord for a Long–lasting Peace, which was signed on December 29, 1996.
The Accord on Socio-Economic and Agrarian Issues states that:
"A Long Lasting Peace must be based on socio–economic development oriented towards the common good, a development that fulfils the needs of the whole population."
"This is necessary to end poverty, and social and political discriminations which have been an obstacle for the social, economic, cultural and political development of the country, and they have been a source of conflict and instability".
"The rural area needs a comprehensive strategy to allow the campesinos access to land and other production resources, that will bring judicial security, and will favour conflict resolution"
"It mandated the establishment of a Land Fund to distribute farmland to poor campesinos by January 1997 and it created a nationwide rural property registry to ascertain legality of land titles and resolve conflicting land claims
Campesino and indigenous organizations have been campaigning to see it implemented. As a result of this struggle, at least four campesinos have been assassinated in the last two years, one in April 2000, one in April 2001, one in October 2001 and one in March this year.
After a massive public demonstration in October 12, 2001, the Indigenous and Campesinos National Coordinating Office (Coordinadora Nacional Indigena y Campesina – CONIC) issued a communiqué stating that:
"The hunger suffered by two thirds of the Guatemalan population is the direct result of the concentration of land–ownership and wealth in a few hands, the low salaries, and the inability of the Government to put into practice the legal framework to protect the people, to guarantee justice, security, peace and development." They proposed a Plan of Comprehensive Rural Development to be discussed by the government and the public. This proposal is based on the Constitution of Guatemala, the Guatemalan Peace Accords, and the Convention 169 (on Indigenous Peoples) of the International Labour Organization.
The State of Guatemala also has international commitments on socio–economic rights, specifically on the right to work: - United Nations – International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
It was ratified by Guatemala in 1988.
Article 7 states that
"The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right of everyone to the enjoyment of just and favourable conditions of work" - Organization of American States – Protocol of San Salvador (Additional Protocol to the American
Convention on Human Rights in the Area of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights) – It was ratified by
Guatemala in 2000.
Article 6 establishes the right to work, and Article 7, the right to just, equitable, and satisfactory conditions of work.
Background Information on Human Rights Defenders - United Nations adopted, on December 9, 1998, the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, which maintains that: "In the exercise of human rights and freedoms, including the promotion and protection of human rights, everyone has the right to be protected in the event of violations of these rights".
- The Organization of American States (OAS) adopted, on June 5, 2000, the resolution "Human Rights Defenders in the Americas: Support for the Individuals, Groups, and Organizations of Civil Society Working to Promote and Protect Human Rights in the Americas". In it, the OAS resolves to "urge member states to intensify their efforts to adopt the necessary measures, in keeping with their national laws, to guarantee the life, personal well–being, and freedom of expression of human rights defenders."
- As well, the Government of Guatemala has the responsibility to respect and promote human rights according to the Constitution of the Republic of Guatemala; this commitment is reiterated in the Preamble of one of the Peace Accords, the Global Accord on Human Rights. The Global Accord on Human Rights stipulates in Article 7.2: "The government of the Republic of Guatemala will take special protective measures in favour of persons and entities that work in the field of human rights".
Suggested Action
Please write to the Governments of Guatemala and Canada expressing your concerns (please see model letters) Please send the suggested solidarity copies.
We are asking you to send several copies of your letter to the President of Guatemala:
- To Ambassador Carlos Humberto Jimenez, Guatemalan Embassy in Canada
- To the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, and to the Canadian Ambassador to Guatemala, to inform the Guatemalan authorities that we are alerting the Canadian government to these human rights abuses.
- To Gerd Merren – Jefe de Mision, MINUGUA (UN Mission in Guatemala) and to the Guatemalan Human Rights Ombudsman, because they are mandated to oversee investigations of human rights abuses in Guatemala and because Monsignor Ramazzini asked these two entities to be involved in the case.
- Solidarity copies to Monsignor Alvaro Ramazzini, Bishop of San Marcos, and to the Comite de Unidad Campesina (CUC)
- Finally, please send a copy to your Member of Parliament.
Canadian Government Addresses
Hon. Bill Graham, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
125 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0G2
fax 1 613 996 9607
e–mail Graham.B@PARL.GC.CA
Ambassador Allan Culham
Canadian Embassy in Guatemala
13 Calle 8–44, Zona 10, Edyma Plaza, 8 Nivel, Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala
fax: 011 502 333 6161
e–mail: GTMLA@DFAIT-MAECI.GC.CA
We strongly suggest that you send a copy of your letter to your Member of Parliament
Guatemalan authorities
President Alfonso Portillo
Palacio Nacional, Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala
fax: 011 502 238 3579 or 011 502 239 0090 or 011 502 239 0076
e–mail: MENSAJES@PRESIDENTEPORTILLO.GOB.GT or COPREDEH@GUATE.NET
Ambassador Carlos Humberto Jimenez,
Guatemalan Embassy in Canada
130 Albert Street, Suite 1010, Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5G4
fax: 1 613 233 0135
e–mail: embguate@webruler.com
Gerd Merren – Jefe de Mision
MINUGUA (UN Mission in Guatemala)
Boulevard Los Proceres 18–67, Zona 10, Guatemala City, Guatemala
Fax: 011 502 279 3214
e–mail: GMERREN@UN.GUATE.NET or
OIP–INFO@UN.GUATE.NET (please put Mr. Merre's name on the "Subject" line)
Procurador de los Derechos Humanos [Human Rights Ombudasman]
12 Avenida 12–72, Zona1, Guatemala City, Guatemala
fax: 011 502 238 1734
e–mail: OPDHG@GUATENET.NET.GT
Please send solidarity copies to:
Monsignor Alvaro Ramazzini, Bishop of San Marcos
Casa Diocesana
10 Avenida 6–28, Zona 4, San Marcos, Guatemala
fax: 011 502 760 2315
e–mail: ALVARORA@AMIGO.NET.GT
Comite de Unidad Campesina (CUC)
31 Avenida A 14–46 Zona 7, Ciudad de Plata II, Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala
fax: 011 502 434 9754
e–mail: cuc@guate.net
If possible, please send us a copy of your messages to the governments and NGOs, and your letters to the Editor:
Social Justice Committee – Canada (SJC)
1857 de Maisonneuve West, suite 320, Montreal, QC, H3H 1J9
e–mail: sjc@web.ca
We can forward your messages to Guatemalan NGOs. – Thank you for your solidarity!
Montreal, Canada, March 13, 2002
President Alfonso Portillo
Palacio Nacional, Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala
Mr. President,
The Social Justice Committee is a Canadian non–profit organization working for human rights in Central America for more than 25 years. We are very concerned with the fragile situation of human rights in Guatemala. We know that there are many matters that require your attention at this moment but we are respectfully asking you that you pay special attention to the desperate situation of the campesinos. Their struggle for their rights put their lives in danger as well as endangering those who try to help them.
Hunger, poverty, and rampant unemployment are forcing campesinos to resort to desperate measures, such as land occupations where they know they are risking their lives at the hands of private security or the police.
They occupy land because working in agriculture is the only way they know how to make a living. As you know, Mr President, Guatemala has ratified two international Agreements that recognize the right to work: the United Nations' International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ratified in 1988) and the Organization of American States' Protocol of San Salvador (Additional Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights in the Area of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights), ratified in 2000.
In addition to that, the Accord on Socio–Economic and Agrarian Issues mandated the establishment of a Land Fund to distribute farmland to poor campesinos by January 1997 and it created a nationwide rural property registry to ascertain legality of land titles and resolve conflicting land claims. In other words, the campesinos are asking that the Peace Accords be implemented. Given that there are precedents of campesinos being killed during land occupations, we respectfully ask you to implement a prompt resolution of this land conflict.
Mr. President, we would like to ask you also to ensure the safety of those helping these campesinos, the human right defenders. We are especially concerned for the lives of the Bishop of San Marcos, Monsignor Alvaro Ramazzini, and of Father Juan Jose Aldaz, a Priest of the same diocese of San Marcos. We urge you to order an immediate investigation on the threats directed to them. The Government of Guatemala has the responsibility to respect and promote human rights according to the Constitution of the Republic of Guatemala; and this commitment is reiterated in the Preamble of one of the Peace Accords, the Global Accord on Human Rights. In addition to that, the Organization of American States (OAS) adopted, on June 5, 2000, the resolution "Human Rights Defenders in The Americas: Support for the Individuals, Groups, and Organizations of Civil Society Working to Promote and Protect Human Rights in the Americas" and United Nations adopted, on December 9, 1998, the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders. In other words, the government of Guatemala is bound by national and international agreements to support and protect human rights defenders.
Mr President, we are confident you will ensure that the State of Guatemala complies with its obligations to respect, protect and fulfil the human rights of all Guatemalans.
Sincerely,
Cc: Hon. Bill Graham, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
Ambassador Allan Culham, Canadian Embassy in Guatemala
Ambassador Carlos Humberto Jimenez, Guatemalan Embassy in Canada
Gerd Merren – Jefe de Mision, MINUGUA (UN Mission in Guatemala)
Procurador de los Derechos Humanos [Human Rights Ombudsman]
Monsignor Alvaro Ramazzini, Bishop of San Marcos
Comite de Unidad Campesina (CUC)
Presidente Alfonso Portillo
Palacio Nacional, Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala
Señor Presidente:
El Comité para la Justicia Social (Social Justice Committee) es una organización canadiense sin fines de lucro que ha trabajado por más de 25 años por los derechos humanos en América Central. Estamos muy preocupados por la frágil situación de los derechos humanos en Guatemala. Sabemos que hay muchos asuntos que requieren su atención en este momento pero respetuosamente le pedimos que preste especial atención a la situación desesperada de los campesinos. Su lucha por sus derechos pone sus vidas en peligro, además de arriesgar las vidas de los que los ayudan.
El hambre, la pobreza, y un desempleo desenfrenado están forzando a los campesinos a recurrir a medidas desesperadas, tales como las ocupaciones de tierras, donde saben que arriesgan sus vidas con los agentes privados de seguridad y con la policía.
Ellos ocupan tierras porque el trabajo en la agricultura es el único medio que tienen para ganarse la vida. Como usted sabe, Sr. Presidente, Guatemala ha ratificado dos convenios internacionales que reconocen el derecho a trabajar: el Convenio Internacional sobre Derechos Económicos, Sociales y Culturales (de las Naciones Unidas, ratificado en 1998) y el Protocolo de San Salvador o Protocolo Adicional a la Convención Americana de Derechos Humanos en el Area de Derechos Económicos, Sociales y Culturales (de la Organización de Estados Americanos, ratificado en 2000).
Ademas, el Acuerdo sobre Aspectos Socio–Económicos y Situación Agraria estableció la creación de un Fondo de Tierras que terminaría distribuyendo tierra de cultivo a los campesinos pobres en Enero de 1997. Además creó un registro de propiedad rural nacional para asegurar la legalidad de los títulos de propiedad de la tierra y resolver los conflictos en materia de propiedad de la tierra. En otras palabras, los campesinos piden que se cumplan los Acuerdos de Paz. Dado que hay precedentes de campesinos muertos durante ocupaciones de tierras, le pedimos respetuosamente que implemente una resolución rápida de este conflicto.
Sr. Presidente, desearíamos también pedirle que de garantías de seguridad para aquellos que están ayudando a estos campesinos, los defensores de derechos humanos. Estamos preocupados especialmente por la vida del Obispo de San Marcos, Monseñor Alvaro Ramazzini, y la vida del Padre Juan José Aldaz, un sacerdote en la misma diócesis de San Marcos. Le urgimos que ordene una inmediata investigación de las amenazas a estos sacerdotes. El gobierno de Guatemala tiene la responsabilidad de respetar y promover los derechos humanos de acuerdo a la Constitución de la República de Guatemala, y este compromiso fue reiterado en el preámbulo de uno de los Acuerdos de Paz, el Acuerdo Global sobre Derechos Humanos. Además, la Organización de Estados Americanos (OEA) adopto el 5 de Junio de 200 la resolución "Defensores de los Derechos Humanos en las Américas: Apoyo para los individuos, grupos y organizaciones de la sociedad civil que trabajan para promover y proteger los derechos humanos en las Américas" y las Naciones Unidas adoptó, el 9 de Diciembre de 1998, la Declaración sobre los Defensores de los Derechos Humanos. En otras palabras, el gobierno de Guatemala está obligado, por acuerdos nacionales e internacionales a apoyar y proteger los defensores de derechos humanos.
Señor Presidente, confiamos que usted se asegurará que el Estado de Guatemala respeta, proteja, y cumpla los derechos humanos de todos los guatemaltecos.
Lo saluda atentamente,
Cc: Hon. Bill Graham, Ministro de Relaciones Exteriores y Comercio Internacional de Canadá
Embajador Allan Culham, Embajada de Canadá en Guatemala
Embajador Carlos Humberto Jimenez, Embajada de Guatemala en Canadá
Gerd Merren – Jefe de Misión, MINUGUA
Procurador de los Derechos Humanos
Monseñor Alvaro Ramazzini, Obispo de San Marcos
Comité de Unidad Campesina (CUC)
Gerd Merren – Jefe de Mision, MINUGUA (UN Mission in Guatemala)
Procurador de los Derechos Humanos [Human Rights Ombudsman]
Monsignor Alvaro Ramazzini, Bishop of San Marcos
Comite de Unidad Campesina (CUC)
Presidente Alfonso Portillo
Palacio Nacional, Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala
Señor Presidente:
El Comité para la Justicia Social (Social Justice Committee) es una organización canadiense sin fines de lucro que ha trabajado por más de 25 años por los derechos humanos en América Central. Estamos muy preocupados por la frágil situación de los derechos humanos en Guatemala. Sabemos que hay muchos asuntos que requieren su atención en este momento pero respetuosamente le pedimos que preste especial atención a la situación desesperada de los campesinos. Su lucha por sus derechos pone sus vidas en peligro, además de arriesgar las vidas de los que los ayudan.
El hambre, la pobreza, y un desempleo desenfrenado están forzando a los campesinos a recurrir a medidas desesperadas, tales como las ocupaciones de tierras, donde saben que arriesgan sus vidas con los agentes privados de seguridad y con la policía.
Ellos ocupan tierras porque el trabajo en la agricultura es el único medio que tienen para ganarse la vida. Como usted sabe, Sr. Presidente, Guatemala ha ratificado dos convenios internacionales que reconocen el derecho a trabajar: el Convenio Internacional sobre Derechos Económicos, Sociales y Culturales (de las Naciones Unidas, ratificado en 1998) y el Protocolo de San Salvador o Protocolo Adicional a la Convención Americana de Derechos Humanos en el Area de Derechos Económicos, Sociales y Culturales (de la Organización de Estados Americanos, ratificado en 2000).
Ademas, el Acuerdo sobre Aspectos Socio–Económicos y Situación Agraria estableció la creación de un Fondo de Tierras que terminaría distribuyendo tierra de cultivo a los campesinos pobres en Enero de 1997. Además creó un registro de propiedad rural nacional para asegurar la legalidad de los títulos de propiedad de la tierra y resolver los conflictos en materia de propiedad de la tierra. En otras palabras, los campesinos piden que se cumplan los Acuerdos de Paz. Dado que hay precedentes de campesinos muertos durante ocupaciones de tierras, le pedimos respetuosamente que implemente una resolución rápida de este conflicto.
Sr. Presidente, desearíamos también pedirle que de garantías de seguridad para aquellos que están ayudando a estos campesinos, los defensores de derechos humanos. Estamos preocupados especialmente por la vida del Obispo de San Marcos, Monseñor Alvaro Ramazzini, y la vida del Padre Juan José Aldaz, un sacerdote en la misma diócesis de San Marcos. Le urgimos que ordene una inmediata investigación de las amenazas a estos sacerdotes. El gobierno de Guatemala tiene la responsabilidad de respetar y promover los derechos humanos de acuerdo a la Constitución de la República de Guatemala, y este compromiso fue reiterado en el preámbulo de uno de los Acuerdos de Paz, el Acuerdo Global sobre Derechos Humanos. Además, la Organización de Estados Americanos (OEA) adopto el 5 de Junio de 200 la resolución "Defensores de los Derechos Humanos en las Américas: Apoyo para los individuos, grupos y organizaciones de la sociedad civil que trabajan para promover y proteger los derechos humanos en las Américas" y las Naciones Unidas adoptó, el 9 de Diciembre de 1998, la Declaración sobre los Defensores de los Derechos Humanos. En otras palabras, el gobierno de Guatemala está obligado, por acuerdos nacionales e internacionales a apoyar y proteger los defensores de derechos humanos.
Señor Presidente, confiamos que usted se asegurará que el Estado de Guatemala respeta, proteja, y cumpla los derechos humanos de todos los guatemaltecos.
Lo saluda atentamente,
Cc: Hon. Bill Graham, Ministro de Relaciones Exteriores y Comercio Internacional de Canadá
Embajador Allan Culham, Embajada de Canadá en Guatemala
Embajador Carlos Humberto Jimenez, Embajada de Guatemala en Canadá
Gerd Merren – Jefe de Misión, MINUGUA
Procurador de los Derechos Humanos
Monseñor Alvaro Ramazzini, Obispo de San Marcos
Comité de Unidad Campesina (CUC)
Hon. Bill Graham, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
125 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0G2
Dear Minister Graham,
In a follow–up to our recent letter to you on the human rights situation in Guatemala, we would like to inform you that we have sent a letter to the President of Guatemala, Mr. Alfonso Portillo, on that subject. Our letter was motivated by the news on land occupation in the Department of San Marcos and the subsequent death threats against the Bishop of San Marcos, Monsignor Alvaro Ramazzini, and one of his priests. Land occupations in Guatemala are motivated by hunger and rampant unemployment and Bishop Ramazzini understand this and has expressed his concerns on these issues on many occasions. In order to protect the lives in danger, to solve the present conflicts and prevent future ones, we have asked for implementation of the Peace Accords, specifically the Accord on the Socio–Economic and Agrarian Issues and the Global Accord on Human Rights. We have also asked the President to comply with all the other national and international obligations of the State of Guatemala on human rights (please see enclosed letter to President Portillo).
We know that the Canadian Government has asked the Guatemalan government, in previous occasions, to comply with the Peace Accords and its other human rights obligations. We would like to ask you this time to insist on these requests, given the commitments recently made by President Portillo at the Consultative Group meetings. As you know, this compliance would imply an investigation of all human rights violations, and appropriate judicial action. We also ask the Canadian government to offer support to human rights defenders in Guatemala through the Canadian Embassy in Guatemala City.
We thank you for your attention to this letter.
Sincerely,
Cc: Ambassador Allan Culham, Canadian Embassy in Guatemala