Guatemala: Rights Organization Denounces Land Rights Activist Murders

By teleSUR

10 September 20

So far in 2020, four farmer leaders have been murdered, and another one is missing. The organization also denounced the extrajudicial eviction of indigenous communities.

he International Land Coalition (ILC) on Wednesday denounced the assassination of land rights activists in Guatemala.

ILC expressed its "concern for the serious situation of criminalization and violation of human rights of peasant and indigenous organizations in Guatemala in the exercise of their role in the peaceful defense of their lands and territories."

So far, in 2020, four farmer leaders have been murdered, and another one is missing. The organization also denounced the extrajudicial eviction of indigenous communities.

Several international organizations like Front Line Defenders and ILC have been warning about the aggression against land rights defenders since 2018.

According to the statement, Guatemala's government withdrew several institutions that enforced and veiled over land rights, such as the Secretariat for Agrarian Affairs (SAA), the Presidential Commission for the Coordination of Executive Policy on Human Rights (Copredeh), and the Secretariat for Peace (Sepaz).

ILC called on the authorities of the Central American nation to find a coherent solution to the agricultural conflicts and to acknowledge the legit land right of farmers, Indigenous people, and other marginalized communities.

The Unit for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders in Guatemala (Udefegua) reported over 677 attacks against human rights advocators, placing Guatemala among the most dangerous countries in the region.