Front Line is concerned following reports of phone threats received by human rights defender, Mr Leocadio Juracán Jalomé, on 26 February 2009. Leocadio Juracán Jalomé is the Coordinator for the Comité Campesino del Altiplano – CCDA (Peasants Committee of the High Plateau), an organisation which develops projects for food sovereignty and rural development and supports programmes for a new model of peasant organisation, empowerment of women, and the transformation and commercialization of social services.

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CCDA also supports the lawsuit of the parish of San Lucas Tolimán regarding land in Agua Escondida. Leocadio Juracán Jolamé is also a member of the Consejo Político del Movimiento Sindical, Indígena y Campesino Guatemalteco – MSICG (Political Council of the Trade Union, Indigenous and Peasant Movement of Guatemala).

On 26 February 2009, at approximately 11.30 a.m., Leocadio Juracán Jalomé received a call on his mobile telephone from telephone number 51088306. A man's voice said to him “Estoy haciendo una investigación secreta y quiero hablar contigo inmediatamente; estás discriminando y manipulando a los campesinos, haciendo mal uso del cargo que tenés como dirigente, en este momento haya una persona de lentes que está poniendo una denuncia en contra tuya, quiero saber en donde estas para que arreglemos cuentas [I am carrying out a secret investigation and I want to talk to you immediately; you are discriminating against and manipulating the peasants, misusing your position as director, at this moment there may be a person behind a lens who is filing a complaint against you, I want to know where you are so that we can settle the score]”. When Leocadio Juracán Jalomé asked where he should meet the caller, he was told to go to Escuintla, a city in southwestern Guatemala. The call was then cut off. The Public Prosecutor for Human Rights has been informed of the matter.

Prior to the telephone conversation, on 19 February and 22 February 2009, Leocadio Juracán Jalomé participated in press conferences to promote indigenous and labour rights. On 23 February 2009, he attended a meeting to discuss the ratification of Agreement 175 of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). The CCDA has also recently supported the construction of housing in the community where it is based. Last year it received a delegation of students from the United States of America who arrived with the intention of constructing housing in the village. An organisation named Fundación Familia reportedly wrote to the local school to say that it wanted the same help as the CCDA. Said organisation was investigated and was found not to exist in the region.

Leocadio Juracán Jalomé and the CCDA have been the victims of previous human rights violations. On 26 March 2006, the headquarters of the CCDA were broken into and a computer containing valuable information was taken, as was other information in the office. On 30 April 2008, the vehicle in which Leocadio Juracán Jalomé was travelling was shot at. The incident occurred when Leocadio Juracán Jalomé was on his way back from a visit to Europe in which he had raised various complaints in relation to his work. The attack was never investigated by the Public Ministry.

Front Line believes that the threats against Leocadio Juracán Jalomé are related to his legitimate work in the defence of human rights. Front Line is concerned for the physical and psychological integrity of Leocadio Juracán Jalomé.