Stand with Peaceful Protests in Guatemala

Thousands of people in Guatemala have taken to the streets to peacefully protest the persecution of the progressive Semilla Party and electoral authorities by the Attorney General and the current government of Alejandro Giammattei. The country is facing a critical moment, as Guatemalans, faced with a subversion of the popular will, are mobilizing to defend their civil, political, and human rights.

The Democratic Mandate

On August 28, 2023, Bernardo Arevalo was elected President of Guatemala with 58 percent of the vote. While Arevalo is scheduled to assume office in January 2024,  Attorney General, Consuelo Porras, and the Public Prosecutor's Office have levelled unsubstantiated accusations of electoral fraud and irregularities against Arévalo and the Semilla Party and have ordered raids on electoral offices and the seizure of ballots.

Demand for Justice

Photo Credit: CCDA Guatemala

Guatemalan civil society is demanding the resignation of the Attorney General and members of the Public Prosecutor's Office leading the politically targeted criminal proceedings. The government and Constitutional Courts have cracked down on the right to peaceful protest and maintain the threat of force against demonstrators.

 Right to Peaceful Protest

 Nationwide protests are being led by Indigenous Peoples, student activists, human rights defenders, and workers outraged by the Guatemalan Supreme Court's decision to suspend the Semilla Party over unproven allegations of electoral fraud.

 CoDev in Solidarity with Guatemalans

 CoDev stands in solidarity with people in Guatemala, striving to exercise their inalienable right to peaceful assembly and freedom from reprisal and political violence.

Take Action

Join us in supporting Amnesty International's campaign for Guatemala. Please write to the current president, Alejandro Giammattei, and call on him and his government to respect and guarantee demonstrators' right to peaceful assembly and to refrain from using criminal law and excessive force against those protesting.

 USE THE HASHTAGS ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

#GuatemalaDecide #FueraGolpistas #NoMasCorrupcion

DO YOU KNOW?

CoDev has five partner organizations working for social justice in Guatemala:

• Artesana Collective

• Campesino Committee of the Highlands

• Nuevo Horizonte Cooperative

• Our Voice Women's Association

• Women's Sector

Learn about these courageous organizations and read about CoDev's recent visit to Guatemala by clicking here.

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Guatemalan police attacked and burned an indigenous community in Nueva Jerusalem

ATTACK ON DEMOCRACY: ATTEMPTED COUP D'ÉTAT IN THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IN GUATEMALA

Guatemalan police attacked and burned Indigenous Community houses in Nueva Jerusalem, Escuintla

Just before dawn on August 9, International Day of Indigenous Peoples, Guatemalan police attacked and burned an indigenous community in Nueva Jerusalem near Iztapa, Escuintla province. Police burned the homes before most community members were able to remove their belongings.

Now 54 families are without anywhere to live. 

Videos sent from community members to Café Justicia and the Campesino Committee of the Highlands (CCDA), our partners in Guatemala, to which the indigenous community is affiliated.

Nueva Jerusalem is one of the threatened communities accompanied by the CCDA through the "Strengthening Social Justice, Respect for Human Rights and Links for Democracy" project. In 2018, police executing an eviction order burned the community.

The families spent eight months living under plastic sheets on the roadside until the CCDA obtained an injunction against the eviction that enabled the community to return to its lands and rebuild. Since then, Nueva Jerusalem has been one of the several CCDA communities seated at the negotiating table with various branches of the state to resolve the land conflict. The CCDA also requested protective measures for the community with the Inter-American Human Rights Commission. Nevertheless, police, executing an eviction order issued by a different judge, which shows the community in a completely different location, burned Nueva Jerusalem's homes again and destroyed its crops.

The CCDA reports that attacks on its communities have increased since Guatemala's June 25 first-round elections. They believe that local authorities in the pockets of landlords and agro-industry are taking advantage of the focus on the elections to drive Mayan farmers off the land.

It is now crucial for our international allies to extend their support to provide emergency shelter, food assistance, medicines, construction material and other essential supplies to the families affected by this cruel violation of human rights.

We kindly appeal to your generosity to donate any amount to aid this cause!

Your contribution will have a significant impact on the work  for social justice in Latin America!