Guatemala Human Rights Commission/USA

 

GHRC/USA - URGENT ACTION!

January 23, 2007

 

UNION LEADER KILLED AND COLLEAGUES THREATENED

Please See Drafted Messages Ready to Send Below!

Pedro Zamora Alvarez, secretary general of the Guatemalan STEPQ (Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Empresa Portuaria Quetzal) Dockers’ Union, was murdered on January 15, 2007 in the town of Puerto Quetzal, located in the southern, costal department of Escuintla. Around 7:50pm, as Pedro Zamora and his two small children were returning home from a local health clinic, a vehicle with five occupants ambushed him. The five individuals fired approximately 100 bullets at Zamora’s car, and twenty of those shots hit Pedro. Badly wounded, he crashed his car into a wall. The final blow to Pedro came when one assailant approached Zamora and shot him at point blank range in the face, in front of his children. Zamora’s three-year old son, Angel, was wounded in the attack. Zamora’s final heroic act had been to push his children to the floor to try and protect them.

In the wake of his tragic death, the four remaining members of STEPQ’s Executive Committee – Oscar Gianni Gonzalez Donado, Lazaro Rene Reyes Mata, Eulogio Obispo Monzon Merida, and Max Alberto Estrada Linares - have since received death threats. Oscar Gonzalez and Lazaro Reyes have received a total of three anonymous phone calls between them, threatening them and their families with death. The calls were made to their cellular phones between 1:45pm and 8:00pm. The caller’s voice had been electronically disguised, and reportedly told them that they, their other colleagues and their families would be killed within the next nine days. Moreover, a pickup truck with tinted windows has been seen parked close to Eulogio Monzon’s house in recent days.

Pedro Zamora, who was elected to the post of Secretary General in December 2005, had been a very active union leader. He mobilized dockworkers to demonstrate against the privatization of the Port of Quetzal. In addition, Zamora asked the government to fund a plan to modernize the Port in order to increase its productivity. Zamora also requested the dismissal of the General Manager, who apparently was the one plotting the privatization of the Port. Furthermore, Pedro Zamora had advocated for the return of nine Port employees who had been illegally arrested and fired by the general manager during a peaceful protest against the privatization of the Port. To the anger of the Port’s general manger, during the week prior to Zamora’s murder, the Minister of Communications, Transportation, and Public Works granted the reinstatement of the nine employees.

As a result of Pedro Zamora’s activism, he was the principal target of the intimidation and attacks, apparently in an attempt to discourage STEPQ from pursuing contentious areas of union work. Zamora was regularly followed by a variety of vehicles, and unknown individuals had visited his home on several occasions to ask for his whereabouts. During one incident on November 2, 2006, a black or grey Chevrolet vehicle with tinted windows followed Zamora. The occupants of the vehicle drew their weapons and fired shots in the air. During the month of December 2006, Zamora was followed almost daily, obliging him to regularly change his routine. Pedro Zamora had received so many anonymous death threats, that the week before his death he decided to formally report the incidences to the Human Rights Ombudsman’s Office (PDH) and the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP). Obviously, his efforts were to no avail.

The other STEPQ Executive Committee members and their families have been previously threatened, intimidated, and attacked as well. For example, in June 2006, there was an attempt on the life of Max Alberto Estrada Linares. He was shot and seriously wounded by unknown individuals. The incident was reported to the MP’s Office, but those responsible have not been brought to justice. Recently, the International Transportation Federation (ITF) reported that the general manager of the port had twice sent police in civilian clothes to threaten and intimidate port workers during demonstrations. The police told Zamora and his colleagues that they had to stop opposing the management of the company. Therefore, due to prior and current threats, acts of intimidation, and attacks against the four remaining STEPQ union leaders, GHRC/USA believes that their and their families’ lives are in grave danger.

Union workers from the AFL-CIO, the Teamsters Union, and the International Transportation Federation (ITF) have mobilized to pressure the Guatemalan authorities to commence an immediate and thorough investigation into the death of Pedro Zamora. David Cockroft, secretary general of ITF, said that, “The government and police are under the spotlight on this one. We and the international community will not allow them to let this case slip conveniently away the way they have too many times in the past. The people who carried out this brutal attack must be found, along with the people who ordered it – no matter who they are and how high up they work.”

[Information for this Urgent Action have been taken from Amnesty International Urgent Action Network (uan@aiusa.org, www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/), the Frente Nacional de Lucha in Guatemala, the Teamsters Union, and the Solidarity Center – AFL-CIO. We appreciate their contributions! Please do not send appeal after March 2, 2007]

TAKE ACTION HERE!

 

GHRC/USA is urging you to take action. We ask that you pressure the Guatemalan government to investigate the murder of Pedro Zamora and bring those responsible to justice, and we ask that you express your concern for the safety of Zamora’s colleagues by sending a fax (if someone answers say ''tono de fax por favor''), hand written letter, or email to the Attorney General and the President of Guatemala:

• Calling on the Guatemalan authorities to order an immediate and thorough investigation into the murder of Pedro Zamora, and demanding that those responsible be brought to justice;
• Expressing concern for the safety of Oscar Gonzalez, Lazaro Reyes, Max Estrada, and Eulogio Monzon and their families;
• Asking the Guatemalan authorities to open an investigation into the intimidations and threats made against Oscar Gonzalez, Lazaro Reyes, Max Estrada, Eulogio Monzon, and their families;
• Urging the Guatemalan authorities to guarantee the safety of Oscar Gonzalez, Lazaro Reyes, Max Estrada, and Eulogio, according to their wishes;
• and, Reminding the authorities that union leaders and workers have the 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, Pedro Zamora’s killers will not be brought to justice and his colleagues and their families will face more 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 Guatemalan Ambassador to the US (ambassador@guatemala-embassy.org), the STEPQ Dockers’ Union, and GHRC/USA’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 Guatemalans fighting for labor rights.

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 murder of Pedro Zamora Alvarez, the secretary general of the STEPQ Dockers’ Union, and the anonymous threats that his colleagues and their families have received. I recently learned that Pedro Zamora was shot twenty times and killed in front of his two children on January 15, 2007 in Puerto Quetzal as they returned home from a local health clinic. Moreover, I have learned that since Zamora’s death, his four colleagues - Oscar Gianni Gonzalez Donado, Lazaro Rene Reyes Mata, Max Alberto Estrada Linares, and Eulogio Obispo Monzon Merida – have received numerous death threats and acts of intimidation. I am fearful that their and their families’ lives are in imminent danger.

I ask that the Guatemalan authorities order an immediate and thorough investigation into the murder of Pedro Zamora, and that those responsible be brought to justice. Moreover, I ask that the Guatemalan authorities open an investigation into the acts of intimidation and threats made against Oscar Gonzalez, Lazaro Reyes, Max Estrada, and Eulogio Monzon, and that the authorities guarantee their and their families’ safety, according to their wishes.

In addition, I want to remind the Guatemalan authorities that union leaders and workers have the 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 into Pedro Zamora’s murder is carried out, that those responsible be brought to justice, and that his colleagues and their families 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

 

 

President of Guatemala

Presidente de la República de Guatemala

Lic. Oscar Berger Perdomo

Casa Presidencial, 6a. Avenida 4-18, Zona 1

Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala

Fax: 011 502 2221 4423 / 2238 3579

Email: presidente@scspr.gob.gt

Estimado Sr. Presidente / Dear Mr. President

I write to express my grave concern about the recent murder of Pedro Zamora Alvarez, the secretary general of the STEPQ Dockers’ Union, and the anonymous threats that his colleagues and their families have received. I recently learned that Pedro Zamora was shot twenty times and killed in front of his two children on January 15, 2007 in Puerto Quetzal as they returned home from a local health clinic. Moreover, I have learned that since Zamora’s death, his four colleagues - Oscar Gianni Gonzalez Donado, Lazaro Rene Reyes Mata, Max Alberto Estrada Linares, and Eulogio Obispo Monzon Merida – have received numerous death threats and acts of intimidation. I am fearful that their and their families’ lives are in imminent danger.

I ask that the Guatemalan authorities order an immediate and thorough investigation into the murder of Pedro Zamora, and that those responsible be brought to justice. Moreover, I ask that the Guatemalan authorities open an investigation into the acts of intimidation and threats made against Oscar Gonzalez, Lazaro Reyes, Max Estrada, and Eulogio Monzon, and that the authorities guarantee their and their families’ safety, according to their wishes.

In addition, I want to remind the Guatemalan authorities that union leaders and workers have the 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 into Pedro Zamora’s murder is carried out, that those responsible be brought to justice, and that his colleagues and their families 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:

Ambassador Jose Guillermo Castillo
Embassy of Guatemala
2220 R St. NW
Washington DC 20008
Fax: 1 202 745 1908

Email: ambassador@guatemala-embassy.org
Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Empresa Portuaria Quetzal (STEPQ)
c/o Confederación Central General de Trabajadores de Guatemala (CGTG)
3a Avenida 12-22 Zona 1,

Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala
Fax: 011 502 2251 3212
Guatemala 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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