Fortalecer la Instancia de Análisis de Ataques a Defensores de Derechos Humanos y mejorar la protección a los y las Defensores y Defensoras de Derechos Humanos

A joint statement by multiple organizations calling for the Guatemalan government to operationalize and strengthen the mechanism for analyzing attacks against human rights defenders, citing a pattern of violence and criminalization linked to extractive and hydroelectric projects.

• Between January and June 2012, UDEFEGUA recorded 145 aggressions against human rights defenders, with 83 of these targeting defenders of the environment, indigenous peoples, and development who opposed the installation of large extractive projects without consultation.
• Criminalization is being used as a direct response to social movements and leaders who speak out against 'megaproyectos', characterized as the arbitrary application or threat of law to weaken social responses and stigmatize activists.
• The Instancia de Análisis de Ataques a Defensores de Derechos Humanos experienced a significant delay in operation; although its mandate was renewed on January 16, 2012, it did not begin meeting until eight months later.
• Transnational corporations and their private security forces are identified as contributors to conflict and potential participants in attacks against defenders, with the state risking complicity if it fails to investigate and sanction these acts.
• Specific violent incidents are cited, including the shooting of Yolanda Oquelí in June 2012 near the Mina Progreso VII (operated by Radius Gold and Kappes, Cassiday & Associates), and a fatal attack on May 1, 2012, in Barillas, Huehuetenango, involving employees of Hidro Santa Cruz (a subsidiary of Ecoener Hidralia Energía).
• The government's imposition of a state of siege in Santa Cruz Barillas for 16 days, involving over 800 military and police personnel, is described as having intimidatory purposes to stifle local organization against a hydroelectric project.
• The authors recommend that the state prioritize the implementation of precautionary measures issued by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and report on protection plans to the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2012). Fortalecer la Instancia de Análisis de Ataques a Defensores de Derechos Humanos y mejorar la protección a los y las Defensores y Defensoras de Derechos Humanos. https://www.ciel.org/Publications/CartaInstancia_DDHH_Nov2012.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. Fortalecer la Instancia de Análisis de Ataques a Defensores de Derechos Humanos y mejorar la protección a los y las Defensores y Defensoras de Derechos Humanos. 2012. https://www.ciel.org/Publications/CartaInstancia_DDHH_Nov2012.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=Fortalecer la Instancia de Análisis de Ataques a Defensores de Derechos Humanos y mejorar la protección a los y las Defensores y Defensoras de Derechos Humanos |date=21 November 2012 |url=https://www.ciel.org/Publications/CartaInstancia_DDHH_Nov2012.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2012fortalecer, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{Fortalecer la Instancia de Análisis de Ataques a Defensores de Derechos Humanos y mejorar la protección a los y las Defensores y Defensoras de Derechos Humanos}}, publisher = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2012}, month = nov, url = {https://www.ciel.org/Publications/CartaInstancia_DDHH_Nov2012.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }