Yesterday morning, hundreds of Guatemalan security forces arrived to evict the Indigenous Q’eqchi community of Chapín Abajo in El Estor, Izabal. Acting on behalf of the large-scale African Palm producer, NaturAceites, the police used excessive force to remove the community which has been accused by the company of “usurping the land.” The forces opened fire, beat community members, and fired teargas at women and children. Several have been reported injured. Read our statement below. (translation underneath)
ALERT | We condemn the attack against the Q’eqchi community in Chapín Abajo, El Estor
December 7, 2022
Yesterday morning, hundreds of Guatemalan security forces arrived to evict the community of Chapín Abajo in El Estor, Izabal. Along with what appeared to be paramilitary groups, who arrived via boats, they used force and terror to enter the community, raiding the homes of families and stealing their food and belongings. When community members resisted, the group opened fire and fired tear gas. Several people have been injured. One is hospitalized and is currently fearful for his life, as police arrived to look for him at the hospital last night.
State forces were used to carry out the eviction in favor of the company Naturaceites, which controls extensive palm plantations throughout Izabal. The company was established on Q’eqchi’ community lands. The company has accused the community of usurping the land and has sent police to evict families four times in the last year. This latest attack is part of a pattern of State violence against Q’eqchi’ communities in the area on behalf of large corporate interests.
A delegation made up of the four Mayan Q’eqchi’ ancestral councils and journalists from the independent press traveled that same day to verify the situation. The group confirmed that a 17-year-old was seriously wounded and is in critical condition, and that another young man is missing. Two men suffered gunshot wounds and several women were beaten and sustained injuries to both face and body. Dozens of community members, including children, were exposed to unsafe levels of tear gas.
We condemn this latest attack and the excessive use of force against community members by state forces. We are increasingly concerned for the safety and well-being of indigenous communities in El Estor and throughout Guatemala, as cases of violent evictions by state security forces in collaboration with paramilitary groups have increased this year. In El Estor in particular, communities face threats from several fronts with the expansion of African palm plantations, hydroelectric megaprojects and mining in their ancestral territories. As the rule of law continues to disappear in Guatemala, human rights defenders and indigenous communities face the brunt of the violence as human safeguards are removed and institutions openly prioritize corporate and corrupt interests.
We call on the Guatemalan State to put an immediate end to this violence. We demand that:
- Immediately cancel all eviction orders;
- Immediately release all community members detained during yesterday’s altercation and that they guarantee the physical safety of all members of the Chapín Abajo community;
- Allow the entry of a verification mission from the Human Rights Ombudsman’s Office (PDH) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).