Guatemala Human Rights Commission/USA

Increasing Threats Against Human Rights Defenders Alarm UNHCHR

June 13, 2006

During the last few weeks amidst a situation of escalating violence in the country, the Guatemalan Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) has received information about numerous attacks and hostile acts against NGOs and human rights organizations in Guatemala. UNHCHR is extremely worried about the strong sensation of fear that has gripped Guatemalan civil society.

Although it’s possible that a thorough investigation would reveal diverse motives for the attacks and hostility, the incidents seem linked to a systematic method of intimidation. Many of the people targeted as well as certain officials attribute the incidents to clandestine groups that the authorities have not yet identified.

Human rights defenders have, among others, the right to express their opinion at will, to denounce actions that they consider human rights violations, and to alert the public to any action by the authorities that might hinder their work, or impede the promotion, protection, and realization of human rights and fundamental liberties.

Considering human rights defenders’ important work aimed at building a true Democratic State, numerous international organizations have advised the Guatemalan government to provide effective protection for these activists. UNHCHR urges the government to take immediate actions to implement effective means of protection for human rights defenders, to investigate the crimes committed, and to take preventative measures against further hostilities.

Impunity is the primary cause for the escalating terror in Guatemalan society. The UNHCHR insists that the authorities assume full responsibility for combating this rising wave of violence; such an action would help create an atmosphere of confidence in the justice system, without which a true democracy cannot exist.

 

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