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2011: The Most Violent Year for Human Rights Defenders

The Human Rights Defenders Protection Unit Guatemala (Unidad deProteccin a Defensoras y Defensores de Derechos Humanos Guatemala; UDEFEGUA) informs that, according to our registry, 2011

was the most violent year for human rights defenders. We counted atotal of 402 acts, which represent violations of the right to defendhuman rights. The aggressions were committed against 94 femalehuman rights defenders, representing 23% of the cases, 293 maledefenders, corresponding to 73% of the registry, and 4% werecommitted against institutions. In comparison with 2010, we see a riseof 33% in the number of cases registered.

During the government of lvaro Colom we registered 1,224 acts ofaggression, which contrasts with 618 during the government of OscarBerger and 338 during the government of Alfonso Portillo. The gravity

of the situation for human rights defenders is directly related to therise in attention to land conflicts and the repressive policies againstcommunities that object to the use of their resources without previousconsultation. The poor management of social conflictivity caused thegovernment of Colom to use the State of Exception as a mechanism ofsocial control, aggravating the situation for human rights defenders inthe region.

During 2011, the government of lvaro Colom began once again to usethe practice of defamation against human rights defenders and withthis opened the door to more threats and criminalization committed by

non-State actors. In this regard, the work of journalists has been put atrisk during this government.

Despite their commitments before the international community andthe signing of the National Accord for the Advancement of Security andJustice, the government of lvaro Colom has not institutionalized thestate mechanisms for protection of human rights defenders. They didnot come to a consensus, nor did they approve the Program for theProtection of Human Rights Defenders and Other Vulnerable Victims.Neither did they institutionalize the Authority for Analysis of Attacksagainst Human Rights Defenders, which ceased to function on January

9th this year, given that the governmental accord is awaiting theopinion of the Secretary General.

On the other hand, the District Attorney has advanced in some casesregarding crimes committed against human rights defenders; the mostemblematic being the cases of Cotzal (2009), Lisandro Guarcax (2010)and Emilia Quan (2010). However, the majority of cases remain inimpunity, the most ignored being cases of journalists and unionists.


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One important advance is the signing of the Convention forCooperation signed between the District Attorney, the Ministry of theInterior, and the Presidential Commission for Coordinating ExecutivePolicy in Human Rights (COPREDEH) to support the coordination ofpenal prosecution and protection for human rights defenders. We

hope that the new government will follow up with these changes andallow them to continue advancing at the same time that theyformulate a policy regarding these themes.

We highlight that during this last year the International Commissionagainst Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) advanced in their investigationand penal prosecution of structures that attack human rightsdefenders; such as the case of the murder of human rights defenderVctor Glvez (2009). As such, we recognize the investigations theyundertake together with the District Attorney in various cases in whichthere are illegal bodies and clandestine apparati functioning.

A contrasting case is that of the Human Rights Ombudsman Procuradura de Derechos Humanos, PDH which, during recent yearshas deteriorated in their functions and credibility. The vacuum left bythe PDH has generated a very grave situation of vulnerability forhuman rights defenders acting at the local level, and for the populationin general.

We thank the international community, which represents an importantrole in the protection of human rights defenders, not only through theactivities of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, but

also through actions of the Embassies, the Inter-American Commissionon Human Rights and the system of the United Nations.

Beginning this year 2012 and the administration of a new government:

We call on human rights defenders to remain alert and to continuedenouncing aggressions to the national and international system.

We urge the international community to maintain vigilance foraggressions against human rights defenders and to condemn acts ofdefamation developed from the State or with its consent by non-state

actors.

We demand that the new government comply with the commitmentsof the Global Accord on Human Rights, the National Accord for theAdvancement of Security and Justice, and the International Declarationon the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Institutionsto Promote and Defend Human Rights and Freedoms Universallyrecognized.


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*FOR THE RIGHT TO DEFEND HUMAN RIGHTS*

*Human Rights Defenders Protection Unit*

*-UDEFEGUA-*

Guatemala, January 6th, 2012

*Human Rights Defenders murdered during 2011*

NumberNameOrganizationDate

1Esvin Carol GlvezSGTSG Filial Hospital Nac. de Retahuleu05/01/2011

2Vctor Haroldo Leyva BorrayoIndependent Artist02/02/2011

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Ramiro ChonComisin de los 1508/02/20114Alberto Coc CalCommunity Leader12/02/20115Sebastin Xuc Coc

12/02/20116Catalina Muc MaasAk'Tenamit12/02/20117


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Eddy Cceres RodrguezSupreme Court of Justice15/02/2011

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Antonio Bec AcPeasant Unity Committee (Comit de Unidad Campesina, CUC)15/03/20119Eduardo Jess Velsquez GodnezCommission of the 15 (Comisin de los 15)04/04/201110Oscar Gonzlez

Banana Workers' Union (Sindicato de Trabajadores Bananeros deIzabal, SITRABI)10/04/201111Oscar ReyesActla Cooperative (Cooperativa Actla R.L)21/05/201112Allan Stoliwsky Vidaurre

District Attorney (Ministerio Publico, Cobn, Alta Verapaz)23/05/2011

13Idar Joel Hernndez GodoySITRABI26/05/2011

14Mara Margarita Chub ChULAM

03/06/2011

15Manuel Mucu ChocComunidad Playa Pataxte04/06/201116


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Marvin Leonel Pop CanComunidad Playa Pataxte02/07/2011

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Sergio de LenAsociacin Brisas del Samala28/07/201118Byron Aroldo Arreaga RosalesSITRASEREPRO- 2o. Registro de la Propiedad13/09/201119Crisanto Maquim

Alianza de Comunidades Indgenas y Campesinas de Guatemala-ACICG-01/11/2011

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