In March 8th we received notice of the cruel Front for Struggle (FNL), the Coordination of Popular, Indigenous, Religious, Workers' and Campesino Organisations of the Oriente (COPIISCO) and the Camotán Campesino Association of the department of Chiquimula, municipality of Camotán. According to the information received he was killed by shots fired from another vehicle on his return from a trip from Honduras.
We are profoundly shocked by this horrible crime that has ended the life of a human rights defender, activist and person who was greatly committed to the wellbeing of his community and colleagues.
PBI Guatemala had accompanied the Camotán Campesino Association between 2009 and 2012. During this period we got to know and accompanied Carlos Hernandez on numerous occasions as he, given his compromise with the defense of life, environment, health and natural resources, just as other members of the Camotán Campesino Association suffered various forms of aggression and threats including disproportionate judicial accusations.
In these moments of deep sadness and pain we express our solidarity with his family, his community and colleagues of the organizations and platforms in which he participated.
We hope that these terrible events will be promptly investigated and the culprits brought to trial, so that this crime does not remain in impunity and so that there can be hope that the violence which has such a grave impact on Guatemalan people's lives will one day come to an end.
At the same time we express our deep concern for the situation of attacks and threats that the social organizations and human rights defenders in this and other regions of Guatemala are facing.
Finally, we call on the international community to take measures which it considers adequate to ensure the effective protection of human rights defenders in Guatemala, paying special attention to those defenders that just as Carlos Hernández are already suffering threats due to their commitment to economic and social human rights.murder of Carlos Hernández, member of the National Health Workers' Union, the National Front for Struggle (FNL), the Coordination of Popular, Indigenous, Religious, Workers' and Campesino Organisations of the Oriente (COPIISCO) and the Camotán Campesino Association of the department of Chiquimula, municipality of Camotán. According to the information received he was killed by shots fired from another vehicle on his return from a trip from Honduras.
We are profoundly shocked by this horrible crime that has ended the life of a human rights defender, activist and person who was greatly committed to the wellbeing of his community and colleagues.
PBI Guatemala had accompanied the Camotán Campesino Association between 2009 and 2012. During this period we got to know and accompanied Carlos Hernandez on numerous occasions as he, given his compromise with the defense of life, environment, health and natural resources, just as other members of the Camotán Campesino Association suffered various forms of aggression and threats including disproportionate judicial accusations.
In these moments of deep sadness and pain we express our solidarity with his family, his community and colleagues of the organizations and platforms in which he participated.
We hope that these terrible events will be promptly investigated and the culprits brought to trial, so that this crime does not remain in impunity and so that there can be hope that the violence which has such a grave impact on Guatemalan people's lives will one day come to an end.
At the same time we express our deep concern for the situation of attacks and threats that the social organizations and human rights defenders in this and other regions of Guatemala are facing.
Finally, we call on the international community to take measures which it considers adequate to ensure the effective protection of human rights defenders in Guatemala, paying special attention to those defenders that just as Carlos Hernández are already suffering threats due to their commitment to economic and social human rights.