Metal Mining and Human Rights in Guatemala

Starting in mid-2000, we began to receive international accompaniment petit ions from Guatemala again. We conducted a preliminary investigation that showed a deterioration of the situation and, in some cases, a closing of the space in which human rights defenders were working. After several exploratory missions, PBI decided to reopen the project in 2002 to carry out accompan iment and observat ion work in collabora t ion with other inte rn at ional accompaniment NGOs. In April 2003, a new PBI office was opened in Guatemala City. At the end of 2003, the issue of metal mining came to a head on the national level. At the same time, harassment of environmentalists and grass-roots leaders working on this issue increased, which led to petitions for PBI to accompany various organizations and individuals receiving threats.

Metal Mining and Human Rights in Guatemala (pdf 1.3 MB)

10 years without war… waiting for peace

The first report by the PBI-Guatemala Project in 1998 on compliance with the Peace Accord on Strengthening Civilian Power and the Role of the Armed Forces in a Democratic Society included information on Phase I and part of Phase II of the Timetable for Implementation. At that time, only a year and half had passed since the Accords were signed and there were many expectations.We were all heavily involved in monitoring fulfillment of the Peace Accords and in promoting the spirit of the same.We knew that the challenge was a big one and that there were more than a few roadblocks. Ten years after the Peace Accords were signed, this second report attempts to provide an overview of the current state of compliance. It deals with such important topics as voter defeat of the constitutional reforms in 1999, which made it necessary to seek other ways to implement the commitments under the accords. In this report, we analyze the implementation of the aforementioned accord, as well as some of the stalled processes and setbacks.

10 years without war… waiting for peace (pdf 694 KB)