European Parliament mobilises for Human Rights Defenders in Guatemala

• 2016 registered 233 human rights defendersassaults and 14 homicides, the majority of those remained unpunished
• The EP reports threats and intimidation campaigns towards court officials
• The EP urges both Guatemalan authorities to comply with their humanrights obligations and the Congress to ratify the reform justice proposal.

Brussels 16 ofFebruary, 2017.The EuropeanParliament today, during his plenary session in Strasbourg, has approved anurgent resolution on the situation of human rights defenders in Guatemala. By this initiative, eurodeputies both expresstheir concerns and acknowledge the work carried out by human rights defenders.For this reason, they urge the Guatemalan government to adopt measures aimed atprotecting HRDs from assaults and dangers they are confronting regularly.

Figures are alarming. The EP recalls that inbetween January and November 2016, 223 assaults were registered against HumanRights Defenders s as well as 14 killings and 7 attempted murders. Since the beginning of the year, 2 HumanRights Defenders were killed in Guatemala. The majority of these crimes werethe final act of a long and repetitive cycle of violence.

The EP also underlines the hostile environmentin which justice officials have to work. They face harassment, criminalization,coercion, discredit and intimidation campaigns, which undermine theindependence of the judiciary system in the country.

The resolution also supports the new justicereform initiative, which has been presented recently in the GuatemalanCongress. It aims at undertaking legal reforms to strengthen the Rule of Law inthe country.

Majority support inthe European Parliament

According to Beatriz Becerra,vice-chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights of theEuropean Parliament and member of theGroup of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), “humanrights defenders are the most powerful asset in the achievement of a moreindependent justice, however, they are defamed, harassed and ultimatelyassassinated. For these reasons the Guatemalan government have to protect themwith ambitious public policies”.

Last year, Hans-Olaf Henkel, member of the European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECR) took part in a EuropeanParliament mission to Guatemala. “Since my visit, I closely followed thisserious situation and although I developed hopes with the new electedpresident, today I am deeply disillusioned and the situation of lawyers andHuman Rights Defenders seems highly worrying”.

Marina Albiol, of the GUE/NGL group considers that “ showing concerns isnot enough”, especially because “EU responsibility is evident”. “There is alink between the presence of multinational corporations and attacks of HumanRights Defenders who oppose and mobilise against hydroelectrical projects, asshown by the case of Pojom II or Renace, mining projects such as FeNix or theone represented by the French oil company Perenco”.

Finally, Ernest Urtasun, member of the Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance states that “it is notpossible that representatives of the judiciary as well as the Director of theInternational commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), Iván Velázquez,are subjected to attacks without the government putting in place efficientprotective measures. With the introduction of the Constitutional Justice Reformproposal, elaborated with the contribution of many national sectors and underdiscussion in the Congress now, we can see a light on the horizon although itis imperative that the proposal is fully endorsed”.

Civil society reactions

Internationalorganizations and civil society networks, whose membership exceeds 500organisations, celebrate this parliamentary initiative and share the requestsand concerns expressed in it.

Theseorganizations highlight in particular the parliamentary petition which invitesthe EU to take on a more proactive role in the promotion of the security ofHuman Rights Defenders, through the adoptions of effective measures and£protection mechanisms in the framework of their political dialogue, cooperationand trade relations with Guatemala.

Theorganisations hope that this resolution can send a clear message to theGuatemalan authorities in order to act and protect human rights defenders,especially women, rural populations, trade unionists, persons discriminatedbecause of their sexual orientation and indigenous communities; who all worktowards a democratic society, and indefense of their land, the environment, Economic Social and Cultural rights,justice and the fight against impunity.

For More Information:

Miguel Martín Zumalacárregui

World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), in the framework of theObservatory for the Protection of Human rights Defenders (OMCT-FIDHpartnership), Member of CIFCA

+32 2 218 3719

Kerstin Reemtsma

Peace Brigades International, Guatemala Project

+32 470 595295