The indigenous peoples of Iximulew, which was renamed Guatemala during the colonial era, have been claiming the right to free determination over their economic, social and cultural development and the territory which they inhabit for years and using their own forms of governance. This right is recognized internationally through two legal instruments ratified by the Republic of Guatemala: ILO Convention 169 and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Although two years and eight months have passed since the tragedy, the public trial was due to begin on October 22, but the first hearing was cancelled at the last moment. The lawyer of the defendant Anahí Keller petitioned for the replacement of the assigned judge on the basis that he has already expressed an opinion on this case. As a result of this action the start of the trial was delayed once again.

Today, 20th September 2019, the environment takes centre stage as people across the world join in a Global Climate Strike, urging governments and the private sector to take concrete action in order to avoid further deterioration of our climate and the manifold human rights impacts that this would imply.

During the last week of May, the worrying situation at the Historical Archive of the National Police (AHPN) came to the fore once more. In the month of July of 2018, Gustavo Meoño, director of the archive since 2005 was dismissed without notice or explanations. Since the beginning of 2019, staff have been gradually, but continually, dismissed. Today only 35 people are left working at the Archive, when at its peak the Archive had a team of 200 workers.

Eduardo Bin Poou, a Q’eqchi human rights defender and vice president of the Fishermen’s Association of El Estor, Izabal, was acquitted on Friday, May 3, 2019.

Eduardo was arrested on June 29, 2018 in El Estor, Izabal and charged on July 9 with the crime of trespassing on protected areas. Since then he has been deprived of his liberty in the prison of Puerto Barrios. His legal defense was led by two lawyers from the Human Rights Law Firm (BDH), Francisco Vivar and Santiago Choc, and PBI accompanied the case.

On Friday April 26, the Higher Risk Court A acquitted, Abelino Chub Caal, Q’eqchi human rights defender, on all charges following two years and two months which Abelino spent in preventive detention. The court concluded that there was no evidence pertaining to any of the accusations made against him by the Public Prosecutor’s Office. These same accusations were backed by the Inversiones Cobra S.A. company, who acted as co-complainants in the case.

In September, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders (henceforth, the Declaration), Peace Brigades International (PBI) invited 13 human rights defenders who are accompanied by the 7 PBI projects to Brussels. 4 full-on days of meetings that brought together advocates from America, Africa and Asia and PBI members encouraged the exchange of experiences and knowledge in terms of integral protection.

On November 9th, we accompanied the BDH to a hearing when the verdict in the Bernardo Caal Xol case was handed down in a court in Cobán. The judge restricted recordings and taking photographs in the courtroom before he handed down the verdict sentencing Bernardo Caal Xol to seven year and four months in prison for the crimes of illegal detention, switchable at a rate of Q5 per day and six years no payable for the crime of aggravated robbery. Bernardo was convicted despite evidence put forth by his defense attorneys which showed that he was not at the scene at the time of the events.