Guatemala
5,000 Villagers Take Control of Military Base After Hydroelectric Dam Opponent Was Shot Dead
"It's hard to imagine how a former intelligence chief who preceded over one of the bloodiest regions in Guatemala during a period later described as genocide by the United Nations could so completely transform his image in a matter of months. But since Pérez Molina first mentioned legalization on February 11th, that's just what's happened on the international stage." (Dawn Paley)
The Summits of the Americas began in 1994 as forums to promote free trade. In 2009 the Summit's focus shifted to demands for the inclusion of Cuba in regional political bodies and the end of the U.S. economic embargo, a debate which continued in this month's Sixth Summit in Cartagena.
Goldcorp completes its AGM (annual general meeting) in Canada. The status quo is intact:
- There continues to be no legal or political accountability in Canada (let alone in Honduras and Guatemala)
- There will be no compensation or reparations for environmental and health harms and other human rights violations caused by Goldcorp's mines in Guatemala and Honduras (and beyond)
- Thus far, no comment from pension funds and equity funds across North America that are invested in Goldcorp
Dina Meza, a Honduran journalist and human rights activist, has received a series of threats of sexual violence against her in recent weeks. Her safety is at risk. Dina Meza reports on human rights issues for the website Defenders Online (Defensores en Linea).
Rights Action's response to a recent article: "Goldcorp looks to export relationship model in addition to gold from Eléonore project", by Alex Létourneau of Kitco News, published by Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/kitconews/2012/03/19/goldcorp-looks-to-export-relationship-model-in-addition-to-gold-from-eleonore-project/
Inside: sign an Amnesty International petition, join an educational delegation to Guatemala and visit the Goldcorp mining harmed communities, donate funds to mine-harmed communities in Guatemala and Honduras, struggling to defend the communities and local environments
Politically motivated killings apparently by death squads have been growing over the past few years in Central America, and concern in Guatemala is heightened as the new administration has brought back to public office many of the same individuals directly implicated in the State repression and genocide of the 1980s.
An article "On the Problem of Femicide" about violence and repression against women and girls in Guatemala, and the daily and historic reality of impunity.
"Militarization in Central America is less about controlling crime than ensuring access to natural resources" (Annie Bird)
