Threats against Guatemalan environmentalist

Flaviano Bianchini a human rights defender and environmentalist with the Mother Jungle Collective (Colectivo Madre Selva) in Guatemala has been the subject of a series of threats and acts of intimidation since 12 January 2007.

Bianchini recently carried out studies about the contamination of the Río Tzalá in the Sipakapa area of Guatemala in the San Marco department in which he denounced the presence of mining products in the water.

Since 12 January, Bianchini has received seven threatening phone calls at various hours of the day, the most recent of which was received on 25 January, from an unidentified person who said, “careful, careful”, before hanging up the telephone. Later during the night of the same day, he received a call in which the stranger said, “Stop screwing around”. On 16 January, on returning home, at eight o'clock at night, he noticed that a grey Hyundai car was parked outside his apartment, however before he could go to the terrace of the house to see it again, the car had gone. On 18 January, at half past eight in the morning, on leaving his house he saw the same vehicle outside, but it left quickly once the occupants became aware of his presence. Furthermore, on 19 January, at six in the evening, a man dressed in black with his face covered, followed Bianchini when he went shopping. Bianchini took a prolonged route when he realised that the stranger was following him, but he could not lose him. Flaviano Bianchini went into a shop and remained there for more than half an hour, when he left the man had gone.

On 21 January, at approximately nine o'clock in the evening, the same Hyundai car, described above, was parked outside the activist's house. Once again Bianchini went to the terrace to get a better view of it but the car had gone.

Front Line fears that Bianchini may be a victim of these threats due to his work concerning the environment and the people affected by the contamination of the water. He had been involved in similar studies in Honduras, related to a multinational company affiliated with the company in the region in which the Tzalá River is found. According to the sources, the Guatemalan government has refuted the results of the examinations carried out by the members of the Colectivo Madre Selva, in particular Bianchini's study. The most recent threat took place the day after they publicly reported the previous incidents to the Public Ministry.

Front Line has asked the Guatemalan authorities to carry out an immediate, thorough and impartial investigation into the threats and intimidation of Bianchini, with the aim of identifying those responsible, and bringing them before a competent and impartial tribunal, and applying the penalties imposed by the law.