Weaponising social media: How Indigenous leaders and climate activists are smeared and criminalised in Guatemala

The report documents a systematic campaign in Guatemala where social media platforms—specifically Facebook, X, and TikTok—are used to disseminate disinformation to justify the criminalisation of Indigenous leaders and land defenders. It highlights the role of Attorney General Consuelo Porras and the Prosecutor's Office in pursuing charges of terrorism and sedition against activists like Luis Pacheco and Leocadio Juracán. The document identifies a network of 'net centres,' including the Foundation Against Terrorism (FCT) and fake news sites like XelaNews, that coordinate with state authorities to delegitimise defenders by labelling them as 'terrorists' or 'puppets' of foreign interests. It further details the criminalisation of the Maya Poqomchi’ communities of Washington and Dos Fuentes in land disputes with Agropecuaria Pananish, and calls on social media giants to improve content moderation to protect vulnerable activists.

• Indigenous leaders who protested to protect the 2023 election results are facing a wave of criminalisation, with figures such as Luis Pacheco, Hector Chaclán, and Esteban Toc charged with crimes including terrorism, sedition, and illicit association.
• Social media platforms are being weaponised to delegitimise defenders, with Facebook (used by nearly 80% of adults), TikTok (used by 89%), and X (used by 7.5%) serving as primary vectors for smear campaigns that label activists as criminals or foreign agents.
• There is evidence of direct coordination between the Guatemalan Prosecutor's Office and anonymous social media accounts, such as 'Yes, Master!', which often share confidential information and pre-empt official arrests.
• Land activists and Indigenous communities, such as the Maya Poqomchi’ of Washington and Dos Fuentes, are criminalised for pursuing ancestral land claims, often facing charges of trespass and arson while being smeared as 'invaders' by landowners' associations like ACDEPRO and firms like Agropecuaria Pananish.
• A network of 'net centres'—comprising the Foundation Against Terrorism (FCT), fake news outlets like XelaNews and Republica, and anonymous accounts—drives the disinformation campaigns to isolate activists and facilitate their legal persecution.
• The report argues that social media companies (Meta, X, and TikTok) are complicit in these harms due to their failure to moderate hate speech and their decision to slash support for fact-checking and content moderation.

APA

Global Witness (2025). Weaponising social media: How Indigenous leaders and climate activists are smeared and criminalised in Guatemala. https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/land-and-environmental-defenders/weaponising-social-media-how-indigenous-leaders-and-climate-activists-are-smeared-and-criminalised-in-guatemala/

Chicago

Global Witness. Weaponising social media: How Indigenous leaders and climate activists are smeared and criminalised in Guatemala. 2025. https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/land-and-environmental-defenders/weaponising-social-media-how-indigenous-leaders-and-climate-activists-are-smeared-and-criminalised-in-guatemala/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Global Witness |title=Weaponising social media: How Indigenous leaders and climate activists are smeared and criminalised in Guatemala |date=16 July 2025 |url=https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/land-and-environmental-defenders/weaponising-social-media-how-indigenous-leaders-and-climate-activists-are-smeared-and-criminalised-in-guatemala/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{globalwitness2025weaponising, author = {{Global Witness}}, title = {{Weaponising social media: How Indigenous leaders and climate activists are smeared and criminalised in Guatemala}}, institution = {Global Witness}, year = {2025}, month = jul, url = {https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/land-and-environmental-defenders/weaponising-social-media-how-indigenous-leaders-and-climate-activists-are-smeared-and-criminalised-in-guatemala/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }