Attacks against human rights defenders in Guatemala are alarmingly frequent. Almost 300 attacks against human rights defenders were documented in 2006 alone, and from 2000 to 2006 the number increased almost six fold.

Further Information

Posted 04/02/2008 The situation of human rights defenders in Guatemala is indicative of the broader human rights problems in the country. Death threats, fears of imminent extrajudicial execution and assassinations of human rights defenders are alarmingly common. From 2000 through mid-August 2006, at least 64 human rights defenders have been murdered. Those defenders most frequently assassinated, such as trade unionists, peasant workers (campesinos), indigenous leaders or environmental activists, have been upholding economic, social or cultural rights. Defenders seeking truth and justice for human rights violations committed during the internal armed conflict have also been particularly targeted.

Few attacks against human rights defenders are investigated and even fewer result in convictions, and the killing of human rights defenders has increased in large part due to the failure to investigate and punish those responsible. A large number of killings are preceded by death threats or acts of intimidation which are not investigated. Effective investigation of these death threats could prevent a subsequent killing. More broadly, if coupled with effective prosecution for assassinations, it could rupture the culture of impunity and deter future killings.

The Guatemalan state’s responsibility for attacks against human rights defenders is not usually direct, although, in some cases, members of the armed forces or the police have reportedly been responsible. However, state responsibility for human rights violations extends to actions of non-state actors especially when the state fails to exercise due diligence to prevent, punish, investigate, or redress the harm caused by non-state actors.

To read the full text of the Human Rights First, Front Line submission to the the UN's Periodic Review please see the attached PDF