Guatemala
24.05.00
Urgent Interventions
Guatemala: attempted assassination / Death threats
URGENT APPEAL- THE OBSERVATORY
GTM 004 / 0005 / OBS 044
Attempted assassination / Death threats
GUATEMALA
24th May 2000
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the FIDH and the OMCT, requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Guatemala.
Brief description of the situation
The Observatory has just been informed by the Latin-American Commission on the Rights and Freedoms of Workers and Populations (CLADEHLT), a member of the OMCT network, of an attempt to assassinate Sr. Edwin Rafael Fuentes López, on 4th May 2000, and of the death threats uttered against him and Sres. José E. Pinzón and Rigoberto Dueñas Morales; respectively Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary- General of the Central General de los Trabajadores de Guatemala (CGTG).
According to the information, on 4th May 2000, Sr-Edwin Rafael Fuentes López, a trade union leader and representative of the workers of the Palo Gordo sugar factory, was the victim of an attempted assassination on the part of Mario Varcia, foreman of the above-mentioned sugar refinery.
The attempt having failed, its author proferred death threats against the trade-union leader.
The reports of the CLADEHLT also add that landholder circles on the South coast have threatened trade-union leaders Sres. José E. Pinzón and Rigoberto Dueñas Morales with death. The same reports attribute responsibility for this to Sres. Fermín Viejo, of the El Tesoro, S.A. and San Román plant, and Francisco Zúñiga Fumagally, of the San Rafael Panama and Ofelia, S.A. plant.
The Observatory shares the concern of CLADHELT for the safety and physical and psychological integrity of those who work to promote and defend human rights in Guatemala, including trade-unionists, especially the trade-union activists mentioned above.
Action requested
Please write to the Guatemalan authorities urging them to:
i. adopt all necessary measures to guarantee the safety and physical and psychological integrity of Edwin Rafael Fuentes López, José E. Pinzón and Rigoberto Dueñas;
ii. carry out a thorough and impartial investigation into the facts referred to above in order to identify those responsible, bring them to justice and impose upon them the penal and/or civil sanctions provided by law;
iii. ensure the implementation of the provisions of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 9th 1998, in particular the duty of the State to guarantee "...the protection by the competent authorities of everyone, individually and in association with others against any violence, threats, retaliation, de facto or de jure adverse discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action as a consequence of his or her legitimate exercise of the rights referred to in the present Declaration." (Art.12.2)
iv. act in conformity with the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the international Pacts and Conventions ratified by Guatemala.
Addresses
S.E. Alfonso Portillo, Presidente de la República de Guatemala, Palacio Nacional, Guatemala, Guatemala. Fax : (+ 502) 2214537 ó 334 16 15 ó 230-1508.
Sr. Julio Arango Escobar, Procurador para los Derechos
Fax: (+502) 238 17 34.
Sr. Juan Francisco Alfaro Mijangos, Ministro del Trabajo, Fax: (+502) 230 13 63.
Sr. Luis González Bauer y Alfredo de la Hoz, Dirigentes de la Refinería de Azúcar Palo Gordo, Fax : (+ 502) 331 25 68.
Sr. Ministro de Gobernación, Ministerio de Gobernación, Palacio Nacional, 6 Calle y 7 Avenida, Guatemala, Guatemala. Fax : (+ 502) 362 02 39.
Sr. Fiscal General de la Nación, Ministerio Público, 6 Av 3-11, Zona 4, Guatemala. Guatemala. Fax : (+ 502) 331 4336.
Sr. Canciller, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Palacio Nacional, 6 Calle y 7 Avenida, Zona 1, Guatemala, Guatemala. Fax : + 502 251 8445. E-mail : mint@mieno.gt
Comisión Presidencial de Derechos Humanos (Copredeh) E-mail:copredeh@guate.net
Geneva - Paris, 24th May 2000
Kindly inform the Observatory of any action undertaken, quoting the code number of this appeal in your reply.
derechos humanos víctimas de violaciones y a proporcionarles una ayuda cotidiana tan concreta como sea posible.
Premio de Derechos Humanos de la República Francesa, 1998
****************
Para contactar el Observatorio, comuníquese a la Línea de Urgencia: Fax :33(0)1 55 80 83 92 Tel FIDH 33 (0) 1 43 55 20 11 OMCT (+ 41-22) 809 49 39
E-mail : observatoire@iprolink.ch
GTM 004 / 0005 / OBS 044
Attempted assassination / Death threats
GUATEMALA
24th May 2000
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the FIDH and the OMCT, requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Guatemala.
Brief description of the situation
The Observatory has just been informed by the Latin-American Commission on the Rights and Freedoms of Workers and Populations (CLADEHLT), a member of the OMCT network, of an attempt to assassinate Sr. Edwin Rafael Fuentes López, on 4th May 2000, and of the death threats uttered against him and Sres. José E. Pinzón and Rigoberto Dueñas Morales; respectively Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary- General of the Central General de los Trabajadores de Guatemala (CGTG).
According to the information, on 4th May 2000, Sr-Edwin Rafael Fuentes López, a trade union leader and representative of the workers of the Palo Gordo sugar factory, was the victim of an attempted assassination on the part of Mario Varcia, foreman of the above-mentioned sugar refinery.
The attempt having failed, its author proferred death threats against the trade-union leader.
The reports of the CLADEHLT also add that landholder circles on the South coast have threatened trade-union leaders Sres. José E. Pinzón and Rigoberto Dueñas Morales with death. The same reports attribute responsibility for this to Sres. Fermín Viejo, of the El Tesoro, S.A. and San Román plant, and Francisco Zúñiga Fumagally, of the San Rafael Panama and Ofelia, S.A. plant.
The Observatory shares the concern of CLADHELT for the safety and physical and psychological integrity of those who work to promote and defend human rights in Guatemala, including trade-unionists, especially the trade-union activists mentioned above.
Action requested
Please write to the Guatemalan authorities urging them to:
i. adopt all necessary measures to guarantee the safety and physical and psychological integrity of Edwin Rafael Fuentes López, José E. Pinzón and Rigoberto Dueñas;
ii. carry out a thorough and impartial investigation into the facts referred to above in order to identify those responsible, bring them to justice and impose upon them the penal and/or civil sanctions provided by law;
iii. ensure the implementation of the provisions of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 9th 1998, in particular the duty of the State to guarantee "...the protection by the competent authorities of everyone, individually and in association with others against any violence, threats, retaliation, de facto or de jure adverse discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action as a consequence of his or her legitimate exercise of the rights referred to in the present Declaration." (Art.12.2)
iv. act in conformity with the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the international Pacts and Conventions ratified by Guatemala.
Addresses
S.E. Alfonso Portillo, Presidente de la República de Guatemala, Palacio Nacional, Guatemala, Guatemala. Fax : (+ 502) 2214537 ó 334 16 15 ó 230-1508.
Sr. Julio Arango Escobar, Procurador para los Derechos
Fax: (+502) 238 17 34.
Sr. Juan Francisco Alfaro Mijangos, Ministro del Trabajo, Fax: (+502) 230 13 63.
Sr. Luis González Bauer y Alfredo de la Hoz, Dirigentes de la Refinería de Azúcar Palo Gordo, Fax : (+ 502) 331 25 68.
Sr. Ministro de Gobernación, Ministerio de Gobernación, Palacio Nacional, 6 Calle y 7 Avenida, Guatemala, Guatemala. Fax : (+ 502) 362 02 39.
Sr. Fiscal General de la Nación, Ministerio Público, 6 Av 3-11, Zona 4, Guatemala. Guatemala. Fax : (+ 502) 331 4336.
Sr. Canciller, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Palacio Nacional, 6 Calle y 7 Avenida, Zona 1, Guatemala, Guatemala. Fax : + 502 251 8445. E-mail : mint@mieno.gt
Comisión Presidencial de Derechos Humanos (Copredeh) E-mail:copredeh@guate.net
Geneva - Paris, 24th May 2000
Kindly inform the Observatory of any action undertaken, quoting the code number of this appeal in your reply.
derechos humanos víctimas de violaciones y a proporcionarles una ayuda cotidiana tan concreta como sea posible.
Premio de Derechos Humanos de la República Francesa, 1998
****************
Para contactar el Observatorio, comuníquese a la Línea de Urgencia: Fax :33(0)1 55 80 83 92 Tel FIDH 33 (0) 1 43 55 20 11 OMCT (+ 41-22) 809 49 39
E-mail : observatoire@iprolink.ch