Guatemala Human Rights Commission/USA
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GHRC/USA - URGENT ACTION!
January 18, 2007
TWO ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISTS ATTACKED
An attempt on the lives of two environmentalists has been made in Guatemala City. We believe that their lives and those of other colleagues are in grave danger.
Environmental activists Carlos Albacete Rosales and Piedad Espinosa Albacete, a married couple, were the subjects of an apparent attempt on their lives as they returned home from La Aurora National Airport in Guatemala City in a taxi at 12:20am on January 10, 2007.
As they approached their house in the area known as Carretera a El Salvador, they saw a grey Volkswagen Golf parked by a bridge about 1km from their house. The car pulled out behind them and followed them until overtaking the taxi and making a 180-degree turn a few meters further on, partially blocking the road.
At least three men then got out of the car, drawing handguns as they did so. They were wearing black woolen hats and dark-colored bulletproof vests, dressed in black clothing similar to that used by the police but without the identifying insignia. They began to shoot immediately, forcing the taxi driver to accelerate in order to escape. They continued shooting from behind once the taxi cleared them, but did not pursue it any further.
Carlos Albacete was left slightly injured by broken glass, as both the front windscreen and the rear passenger seat window, next to where Carlos Albacete had been sitting, were shattered by the shots. Bullets were also left lodged in the taxi's bodywork, in the rear passenger door on Carlo Albacete's side and in the boot. A total of six bullet holes were counted. When police arrived to investigate the incident they allegedly failed to place the recovered bullets in evidence bags, putting them directly in their pockets instead.
On January 12, at around 6:00pm Carlos and Piedad Albacete received a phone call at their home, but the caller hung up as soon as Piedad answered. They left the house soon after to drive to a relative's home, and on turning into the street where the relative lives, they realized they were being followed by a black car with tinted windows. Instead of driving straight to their destination, they made a detour and called the relative from a mobile phone to ask them to open the garage door. They then drove back and entered swiftly, closing the garage door behind them.
Both Carlos and Piedad Albacete work for the Guatemalan environmental organization Tropico Verde (Green Tropic), which works to protect the Mayan Biosphere Reserve, a nature reserve in the Peten region of northern Guatemala. During the last four years Tropico Verde has been active in denouncing cattle ranchers' and alleged drug traffickers' usurpation of land inside the Reserve.
Carlos Albacete and Piedad Albacete have been the victims of previous attacks and acts of intimidation. Following a series of verbal threats, Tropico Verde's office in the Peten region was forced to close between August and December 2005 before re-opening in a more secure location. On September 12, 2006 at 11:00pm Carlos and Piedad Albacete's house was allegedly shot at with machine gun fire. On September 24, a gold-colored vehicle with tinted windows parked outside their house at 5:30am and allegedly kept it under surveillance. Piedad Albacete noticed it when she took the household rubbish outside, as it turned on its headlights and cruised alongside her while she walked down the path and back up to the house. On November 13, 2006 Carlos Albacete and a colleague, whilst on a visit to the Peten region with journalists reporting on the issue of protected land, were allegedly watched by the four occupants of a vehicle. On December 18 and 20, an employee of Tropico Verde received telephone calls from relatives warning of persistent rumors circulating in the Peten region that there would be an
attempt on the lives of Carlos Albacete and Piedad Albacete.[This Urgent Action has been reproduced from Amnesty International Urgent Action Network (uan@aiusa.org, www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/, Phone: 202.544.0200). We appreciate their contributions! Please do not send appeal after February 27, 2007]
TAKE ACTION HERE!
GHRC is urging you to take action. We ask that you profess your solidarity with Carlos Albacete Rosales and Piedad Espinosa Albacete as they recover from an attempt on their lives and struggle to continue to protect the environment by sending a fax (if someone answers say ''tono de fax por favor''), hand written letter, or email to the Attorney General and the Vice President of Guatemala:
- Expressing concern for the safety of Carlos Albacete, Piedad Albacete and other members of the Tropico Verde organization;
- Urging the authorities to order a thorough and independent investigation into the attempt on the lives of Carlos Albacete and Piedad Albacete, and into the previous threats and acts of intimidation suffered by them and their organization, and to bring those responsible to justice;
- Reminding the authorities of their obligations to recognize the legitimacy of the activities of human rights defenders and their right to carry out their activities without any restrictions or fear of reprisals, as set out in the UN Declaration on the Rights and Responsibilities of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms;
Unless we take action today, Carlos and Piedad Albacete and their colleagues may face future threats, attacks, intimidation, and attempts on their lives. You can send your own message or send GHRC’s drafted message, pasted below. Moreover, we ask that you carbon copy your email, or send a copy to the Human Rights Defenders Protection Unit, the Guatemalan Ambassador to the US and GHRC’s office at ghrc-usa@ghrc-usa.org - so that we may be able to thank you for taking action. Thank you for your time and solidarity with Guatemalan human rights defenders.
DRAFTED MESSAGES READY TO SEND!
Attorney General and Head of the Public Prosecutor's Office:
Fiscal General de la Republica y Jefe del Ministerio Publico
Lic. Juan Luis Florido
15 avenida 15-16
Zona 1, Barrio Gerona, 8vo. Nivel
Guatemala, Guatemala
Fax: 011 502 2411 9124
Estimado Sr. Fiscal General / Dear Attorney General,
I write to express my grave concern about the recent attempts on the lives of Carlos Albacete Rosales and Piedad Espinosa Albacete, a married couple that works for the Guatemalan environmental organization Tropico Verde. I recently learned that Carlos and Piedad Albacete’s taxi was shot at on the night of January 10, 2007 as they returned home from the La Aurora National Airport in Guatemala City. I am fearful that their lives and those of other colleagues are in grave danger as a result of this most recent attack and prior threats and acts of intimidation.
I ask that the Guatemalan authorities order a thorough and independent investigation into the attempt on the lives of Carlos and Piedad Albacete, and into the previous threats and acts of intimidation suffered by them and their organization, and bring those responsible to justice.
In addition, I want to remind the Guatemalan government of its obligations to recognize the legitimacy of the activities of human rights defenders and their right to carry out their activities without any restrictions or fear of reprisals, as set out in the UN Declaration on the Rights and Responsibilities of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.
Please use the full extent of your influence to ensure that a thorough investigation is carried out and that Carlos and Piedad Albacete, the Tropico Verde organization, and their colleagues are safe from future threats, acts of intimidation, and attacks. I thank you for your time and attention to this letter.
With grave concern,
YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS HERE
Vice President of Guatemala
Vicepresidente de la República de Guatemala
Lic. Eduardo Stein Barillas
Casa Presidencial, 6a. Avenida 4-18, Zona 1
Guatemala, Guatemala
Fax: 011 502 2253 0801
Email: vicepresidente@scspr.gob.gtEstimado Sr. Vicepresidente / Dear Vice President
I write to express my grave concern about the recent attempts on the lives of Carlos Albacete Rosales and Piedad Espinosa Albacete, a married couple that works for the Guatemalan environmental organization Tropico Verde. I recently learned that Carlos and Piedad Albacete’s taxi was shot at on the night of January 10, 2007 as they returned home from the La Aurora National Airport in Guatemala City. I am fearful that their lives and those of other colleagues are in grave danger as a result of this most recent attack and prior threats and acts of intimidation.
I ask that the Guatemalan authorities order a thorough and independent investigation into the attempt on the lives of Carlos and Piedad Albacete, and into the previous threats and acts of intimidation suffered by them and their organization, and bring those responsible to justice.
In addition, I want to remind the Guatemalan government of its obligations to recognize the legitimacy of the activities of human rights defenders and their right to carry out their activities without any restrictions or fear of reprisals, as set out in the UN Declaration on the Rights and Responsibilities of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.
Please use the full extent of your influence to ensure that a thorough investigation is carried out and that Carlos and Piedad Albacete, the Tropico Verde organization, and their colleagues are safe from future threats, acts of intimidation, and attacks. I thank you for your time and attention to this letter.
With grave concern,
YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS HERE
PLEASE SEND FAX COPIES OR CARBON COPIES TO:
Human Rights Defenders Protection Unit
Unidad de Protección de Defensoras y Defensores de Derechos Humanos
Movimiento Nacional de Derechos Humanos
1 Avenida 0-11, Zona 2 Colonia Lo de Bran
Guatemala, Guatemala
Fax: 011 502 2232 2651Ambassador Jose Guillermo Castillo
Embassy of Guatemala
2220 R St. NW
Washington DC 20008
Fax: 1 202 745 1908
Email: ambassador@guatemala-embassy.orgGuatemala Human Rights Commission- USA
GHRC-USA
3321 12th St, NE
Washington , DC 20017
Fax: 202-526-4611
ghrc-usa@ghrc-usa.org
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