UN Special Rapporteur calls for urgent moratorium on evictions and amnesty for prisoners
Between July 14 and 25, Balakrishnan Rajagopal, United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, visited Guatemala. He visited several regions of the country, including Guatemala City, Alta Verapaz, Izabal, and Zacapa (the latter three departments face the highest levels of inequality, as well as the negative effects of extractivism and climate change). The purpose of these visits was to meet with representatives from indigenous communities and other civil society actors, as well as national and local authorities.
During his visit, the Rapporteur observed several ways in which the rights of communities and those who defend the right to housing were being violated. He highlighted the violence of the evictions, which involve the presence of massive police forces, as well as hiring of private security forces in cases of extrajudicial evictions. He also emphasized that evicted people’s homes, crops, and property were burned. In addition, he spoke of “a clear pattern of criminalization and intimidation toward those who try to protest or speak out against these forced evictions,” pointing to the persecution and detention of several community leaders and human rights defenders. He warned that such actions violate international law and undermine the rule of law UN Special Rapporteur calls for urgent moratorium on evictions and amnesty for prisoners
Between July 14 and 25, Balakrishnan Rajagopal, United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, visited Guatemala. He visited several regions of the country, including Guatend called for an urgent moratorium on evictions until adequate legal protection can be guaranteed “and an end to the widespread practice of violent and inhumane forced evictions and criminalization, particularly of indigenous peoples and peasant communities.”
In addition, Rajagopal condemned the excessive concentration of land ownership in Guatemala (“only 3% of individuals own their homes” and “2.5% of farms control nearly two-thirds of agricultural land”), the exclusion of women from land ownership, and the inadequate housing conditions of a large part of the population. He proposed several measures, such as historical reparations to address the effects of colonialism and land dispossession, as well as amnesty for those who have been accused of the crime of trespass.
Communities in Izabal achieve cancellation of mining licenses granted by the administration of former President Giammattei
On July 31, at a press conference held at the National Palace of Culture, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN) officials announced the cancellation of environmental licenses for 10 nickel exploration and exploitation projects in Sierra Santa Cruz, Livingston, Izabal. These metal mining licenses were granted during the administration of former President Alejandro Giammattei. The announcement that they had been cancelled followed several months of peaceful resistance by the Maya Q’eqchi’, Garifuna, and mestizo communities of Livingston and El Estor. The communities insisted on the cancellation of these licenses, which were a source of serious concern, as the Sierra Santa Cruz is the source of their water supply.
“Deputy Minister of the Environment Rodrigo Rodas explained that the area affected by the projects spans more than 43,000 hectares. It is an environmentally rich territory that includes tropical rainforests and cloud forests, with are the habitats for endemic species such as howler monkeys and diverse species of endangered flora. Furthermore, according to the Ministry of the Environment, it is estimated that 42% of the area is natural forest and that 35% of the mining sites coincide with water sources that supply nearby communities.”
Rodas also reported several anomalies found in the concession of these ten licenses: no public notice was issued in the Q’eqchi’ language to inform communities about the mining licenses; no advisory opinions were sought from institutions responsible for protecting the environment and protected areas (Ministry of Energy and Mines – MEM – and National Council for Protected Areas – CONAP); and they found inconsistencies in signatures, dates, and the haste with which the procedures were handled. Furthermore, the official stated that the environmental impact assessment did not include information on water sources and rivers, the biodiversity in the region, or the environmental impact of mining activities. During its inspection, MARN discovered that there had been excavations to explore the subsoil and determine the existence of minerals, without a permit from MEM.
MARN identified two possible crimes committed by the former officials who issued the licenses: “breach of duty for failing to comply with the minimum requirements set forth in environmental regulations; and material and ideological misrepresentation due to the possible falsification of signatures,” according to the Deputy Minister of the Environment. Corruption among MARN officials during former President Giammattei’s term in office allowed these mining licenses—which have now been revoked—to be granted.
The cancellation of these licenses is a major win for the communities in the region, who spent months exercising their right to peaceful resistance to protest these illegalities, defending their land and territory, as well as the human rights of the communities and their residents.
45 Q’eqchi’ families at risk following Constitutional Court ruling revoking injunction that protected them
The Plan Grande community is located in Sierra Santa Cruz, north of Lake Izabal. The 45 families who live in the community have been under threat of eviction since 2016. According to community members, the Arriaza Migoya family, owners of the company CXI, S.A., is behind the threats and wants to take over the land to grow oil palms. In addition to the constant threat of eviction, the community has also suffered criminalization, arrests, and even the detention of community leader Abelino Chub, who was criminalized and imprisoned (from 2017 to 2019) based on allegations made by the aforementioned company.5
On June 19, a Constitutional Court (CC) ruling authorized the eviction of the community and the arrest of its leaders Abelino Chub, Martín Xi, Mateo Pop, and Héctor Che. Until the time of the ruling, the community had been protected by a 2019 ruling from High Risk Court A, which granted injunctive relief to community representatives, recognizing that the Arriaza family had unjustly accused the community members and did not own the community’s land. That same year, a court ordered the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP) to investigate irregularities committed by companies owned by the Arriaza family. The CC’s new ruling not only revokes the protection, but also leaves the families unprotected, meaning they could be evicted and even prosecuted. The Q’eqchi’ families of Plan Grande are asking that the eviction not be carried out and that the state listen to the community and respect their rights.
Quetzaltenango Intercultural Park elects Board of Directors supportive of the Museum of Memory
On July 2, the Quetzaltenango Intercultural and Sports Center (CEDIQ) elected a new Board of Directors following several months of internal conflicts. The new team appointed to manage the space, which is located in the former Military Zone 17-15, will be in charge of the activities held in the Park and will be responsible for sustaining the Museum of Memory initiative, launched 2023.
During the Internal Armed Conflict (IAC), the military base was used as a detention and torture center. Emma Molina Theissen was one of the people who suffered human rights violations at this center. Once the Peace Accords were signed, the base was closed, and the space was handed over to an association. The Departmental Government, the City of Quetzaltenango, the business sector, and civil society are responsible for electing the Board of Directors. In 2023, a Board of Directors led by the Roundtable for Dialogue, representing civil society, took charge of CEDIQ and promoted the construction of “a real process of reinterpretation and dignification of memory” to report on the events that occurred during the IAC. The initiative led to the creation of the Museum of Memory, supported by several national and international organizations.
On September 30, 2024, the business sector used the Economic Roundtable to elect a parallel Board of Directors. Several civil society members, particularly representatives of the artistic collective Sona Encendida, feared that the moment would be used to dismantle the memorial initiative. Therefore, members of CEDIQ and Sona Encendida took a stand against the parallel Board of Directors. On June 26, 2025, they organized the symbolic event “A Hug for Memory”, a peaceful protest to oppose the business sector’s takeover of the Intercultural Park and to support the right to memory.
The July 2, 2025 election of the Board of Directors halted the business sector’s efforts and the co-optation surrounding the control of CEDIQ. Mayra Rivera, representative of the Departmental Government and new president of the Board of Directors, emphasized the desire to “follow up on all the intercultural center’s projects.” To ensure the protection of the Museum of Memory, the park’s cultural manager, Brandy López, has proposed that the leadership sign a letter formally committing to “safeguarding and protecting the issue of historical memory.”
Victory for the Maya Poqomam people of Chinautla on behalf of the environment and human rights
Last month, the indigenous Maya Poqomam community of Santa Cruz Chinautla was granted an injunction by the Fifth Civil Court of the Department of Guatemala against the Chinautla City Council. The community has protested for years about the complete lack of measures to combat the pollution of the three rivers that run through the area, the lack of treatment for solid waste washed down from the landfill in Zone 3 of Guatemala City by those same rivers, and the presence of illegal dumps around the community. In May 2024, the community asked the City Council to take the necessary steps to close the illegal dumps that pollute the rivers and to implement an ecological restoration plan.14 Due to the administration’s lack of response, the Ancestral Authorities filed an injunction in October 2024, requesting that the illegal dumps be closed, the ecosystem restored, and the rivers protected.
Finally, the Civil Court granted the injunction and ordered the municipality to take action to stop the river and soil pollution caused by the improper management of solid waste and the proliferation of illegal dumps, in order to mitigate and prevent environmental pollution. Some of the actions ordered include: assuming legal responsibility for managing natural resources and mitigating environmental pollution; closing illegal dumps, restoring ecosystems, and stopping river pollution; conducting a comprehensive study; and guaranteeing the rights of local residents to access information and participate in decision-making.
Former anti-corruption prosecutor acquitted by the Tenth Criminal Court
Former anti-corruption prosecutor Stuardo Campo was accused of alleged breach of duty for having allegedly ordered the unjust arrest of a 70-year-old man while serving as director of the Special Prosecutor’s Office for Illegal Trafficking of Migrants. The Internal Affairs Prosecutor’s Office had requested a six-year prison sentence for Campo and former assistant prosecutors Carlos Faustino Flores and Gonzalo Rafael Chilel. Ultimately, Judge Magda Martínez ruled that the evidence presented did not show that the defendants had overstepped their authority.17 Despite being acquitted, Stuardo Campo will remain in pretrial detention as he is facing charges in two other cases (Zolic and Libramiento de Chimaltenango) for breach of duty, denial of justice, and possible abuse of authority. Campo believes that he is being persecuted and retaliated against because of his work as a prosecutor. The former prosecutor is being investigated for one of the cases he was working on, in which several people were imprisoned for corruption.