Front Line is deeply concerned by reports of death threats and acts of intimidation against the director of the Fundación de Antropología Forense Guatemala (FAFG) Guatemalan Forensic Anthropology Foundation, Fredy Pecerelli, his family and staff members of the FAFG between 24 and 29 May 2007.

On 29 May, Omar Bertoni, laboratory coordinator for the FAFG received a threatening text message on his mobile phone. On 28 May 2007, Fredy Peccerelli director of FAFG received an email headed "letter of pleasure", which read:

“Your days are running out f**king revolutionary. Today we have your sister under surveillance she is wearing black trousers and a white shirt, it is going to be easier than we thought. The moment Omar knows that we raped her he won’t be bothered again; we will torture him until he tells us everything about the exhumations. Fredy your turn is coming up. Anthropologists must die!”

Fredy Peccerelli immediately rang Bianka Peccerelli, his sister, and she confirmed that she was wearing black trousers and a white shirt.

On 25 May 2007, Fredy Peccerelli, Jose Suasnavar, Omar Bertoni and Bianka Peccerelli received a threatening email that read:

“I have been watching you all like an eagle, you will die in a short time we have an order to make that f**king FAFG director suffer. All in his family are under surveillance, for a long time his s**t sister had escaped from us that we did see her at the IGSS [local hospital] she will f**king suffer for his brother we will rape her and dismember her Omar Giron will find her in pieces, and he will become a widow, Then he is next we will stop him while going out he will never imagine it. At the there will be mourning not only for Freddy’s relatives, but for other high-level members. S**T REVOLUTIONARIES. All of you have to die our attack is in Z.12 [the Zone 12 area of Guatemala city]. The list is long but your time will come Freddy after killing all your family”.

On 24 May 2007, Ana Dolores Arriola Carrillo and Miguel Angel Ruiz Corado of the FAFG were returning from a visit to a bank in a vehicle belonging to the FAFG, when four armed men on unregistered motorcycles intercepted their vehicle. The men ordered the staff members to lower the windows and demanded that they give them the money and the weapon carried by the driver, although both staff members were unarmed. The two staff members were hit on the face and threatened.

Members of the FAFG have repeatedly received death threats since 2002. In 2002 the InterAmerican Commission instructed the Guatemalan authorities to provide protective measures for Fredy Peccerelli and staff members of FAFG. These protective measures have since been reduced and Front Line is concerned that protection may be insufficient in view of the continued harassment.

The FAFG is a non-governmental organisation that investigates human rights violations through the application of forensic science and sociological approaches, with a view to instil the respect for and the protection of human rights.