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Guatemala: Prison sentence handed down by Guatemalan court for issuing threats against human rights defendersposted on: 2011/08/04

Front Line welcomes the news that a Guatemalan court has handed down a three-year prison sentence, commuted to a fine of 10 Quetzales per day over a three-year period, for the crime of issuing death threats against human rights defenders Ms Norma Angélica Cruz Cordova and Ms Gloria Ayala Pinto

Further Information

A court in Guatemala City has convicted Mr Marco Tulio Ayala Casasola for issuing death threats against Norma Angélica Cruz Cordova and Gloria Ayala Pinto on repeated occasions between 2009 and 2010. The Court was provided evidence, presented by the Unit for Crimes Committed against Human Rights Defenders, of the Guatemalan Attorney General's Office for Human Rights, which identified Marco Tulio Ayala Casasola as the author of the threatening calls.

Front Line believes that the aforementioned judicial sentence highlights the possibility of conducting successful investigations into crimes committed against human rights defenders, including those concerning threatening phone-calls and messages.

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Guatemala: Update - Death threats against human rights defender Ms Norma Angélica Cruz Córdovaposted on: 2010/06/16

Further to the Front Line Urgent Appeal sent on 25 March 2010, Front Line has received the following new information regarding death threats against human rights defender Ms Norma Angélica Cruz Córdova in Guatemala. On 11 June 2010, Norma Angélica Cruz Córdova received a series of seven death threats via text message to her mobile phone.

Guatemala: Open letter to Government re killings of human rights defenders and state of insecurityposted on: 2010/02/25

Human rights defenders and members of the international human rights community have sent a Joint Open Letter to the Guatemalan authorities demanding action on foot of killings of human rights defenders and protesting at the general climate of insecurity.

Guatemala: UPDATE - Human rights defender Octavio Roblero shot dead by unidentified individual posted on: 2010/02/18

Further to the Urgent Appeal issued in relation to death threats against human rights defender Leocadio Juracán and the intimidation of other members of Comité Campesino del Altiplano - CCDA, which is part of the Labour, Indigenous, and Peasant Movement of Guatemala (MSICG), Front Line regrets to announce that, on 17 February 2010, at aproximately 5:30p.m. Mr Octavio Roblero, leader of of the natural resources protection and resistance front (FRENA) affiliated to the national front for the defence of public services and natural resources (FNL) which is part of MSICG, was assassinated.

Guatemala: Statement of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on the situation of human rights defendersposted on: 2008/02/21

The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on the situation of human rights defenders, Ms. Hina Jilani, issued the following statement on her preliminary findings of her official visit to Guatemala. In her report Ms.Jilani highlighted the deteriorating situation for human rights defenders.

Guatemala: Congress approves new International Commission of Experts to tackle impunityposted on: 2007/08/03

The Guatemalan Congress has voted to establish a joint United Nations and Guatemalan Commission of Experts which will work to break the cycle of violence and challenge the culture of impunity.

Front Line concern over death threats against Guatemalan human rights defendersposted on: 2007/06/05

Front Line is deeply concerned about death threats that have been made against members of the Fundación de Antropología Forense Guatemala (FAFG), Guatemalan Forensic Anthropology Foundation, as well as against their family members between 24 and 29 May 2007

Human rights defenders under increased attack in Guatemalaposted on: 2006/11/21

Front Line and the National Movement for Human Rights of Guatemala launched a new report, Front Line Guatemala; Attacks Against Human Rights Defenders 2000 – 2005, at a ceremony in Guatemala City on 14 November 2006. The report documents a pattern of increasing attacks on human rights defenders which has continued into 2006 with ten human rights defenders having been killed so far this year.

The report details a significant increase in attacks on human rights defenders in 2005, including a dramatic increase in attacks on defenders of economic, social and cultural rights. The report also demonstrates that there has been an increase in the number of attacks which show evidence of planning, indicating that this is an organized assault on the right to defend human rights.

The report includes chapters on attacks against those defending the rights of women and indigenous peoples as well as on the particularly violent attacks on those working in the judicial system including judges and prosecutors.

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Guatemala: Electronic Protection ‘NGO in a Box’ Trainingposted on: 2006/10/10

Front Line and one of its partners, Privaterra, organized a series of training workshops for Human Rights Defenders in Guatemala from 4-8 September 2006. The workshops were based on the tools and materials from ‘NGO in a Box’ Security Edition, a project initiated by Front Line to assist Human Rights Defenders to increase their information and technological capabilities. The full security toolkit is available at: http://security.ngoinabox.org/

The training took a participatory approach and 17 organizations in total were involved in the workshops. Each workshop was tailored to the needs of the individual participants and involved training on security concepts from physical to electronic protection, information encryption backup, antivirus protection, free software equivalents of the proprietary tools and secure email and email encryption.

Following the workshops success, Front Line is working to expand the projects in partnership with the Asociación Para el Estudio y Promoción de la Seguridad en Democracia (SEDEM), Peace Brigades International (PBI) and independent technical consultants.

Attempted murder of Guatemalan Journalistposted on: 2006/09/13

8 September 2006

A Guatemalan radio journalist was shot in the mouth and hand in what appears to be a retalition against his work reporting corruption in big business. Vinicio Aguilar was shot and left for dead by two unknown assailants travelling on a motorbike as he was out jogging in a suburb of Guatemala City in the early morning of 23 August.

Aguilar (45), who remains in hospital in a stable condition, hosts a popular daily phone-in show on the independent “Radio 10” station. His programme regularly discusses issues like organised crime, tax evasion and corruption.

The radio station has been threatened repeatedly for reporting on a tax evasion lawsuit involving Avicola Villalobos, one of Central America's largest agricultural conglomerates.

On the 22 August, the day before the attack on Aguilar, a caller threatened the Director of the Radio Station, Oscar Rodolfo Castaneda, on air. The unidentified man said Castaneda would be murdered for speaking about tax evasion unless he left the country within eight days.

Death threats against Guatemalan trade unionistsposted on: 2005/07/26

27 July 2005

Eight members of the Sindicato de Trabajadores del Credito Hipotecario Nacional (STCHN) have been threatened in Guatemala with two death notices and a funeral wreath. The STCHN is a trade union which forms part of the Union Sindical de Trabajadores de Guatemala (UNISTRAGUA). The union has been involved in campaigns against privatisation and corruption. On 25 July 2005, a funeral wreath was reportedly placed in front of the headquarters of UNISTRAGUA and two death notices were placed inside the offices, containing death threats against:

• Luis Ernesto Morales Gálvez, member of the Consultative Council • Edgar Vinicio Ordóñez García, Secretary General • Luis Fernando Sirin Aroche, Secretary of Work and Conflict • Efraín López Quiché, Secretary of Communication, Acts and Agreements • José Douglas Asencio, Secretary of Sport • Elio Santiago Monroy López, Secretary of Finance • Danilo Enrique Chea Herrera , Secretary of Organisation and Advertising • Manuel Francisco Arias Virula, Secretary of Social Welfare

Continued acts of intimidation against human rights defenders from CALDH in Guatemalaposted on: 2004/11/04

04 August 2004

Front Line is seriously concerned at the ongoing harassment of members of the Centre for Human Rights Legal Action (CALDH), a non-governmental organisation which campaigns for truth and justice on behalf of victims of genocide in Guatemala.

In April 2004 it brought the case of the massacre on 18 July 1982 of 268 inhabitants of the community of Plan de Sanchez by the Guatemalan armed forces before the Inter American Court on Human Rights, which subsequently condemned the Guatemalan Government for the massacre. On 22 July 2004, following a reported raid on the offices of the organisation and death threats against its director Edda Gaviola, Front Line called on the authorities of Guatemala to ensure the protection of members of CALDH and witnesses of the Plan de Sanchez massacre.

Intimidation of members of Centre for Human Rights Legal Action (CALDH) in Guatemalaposted on: 2004/07/20

Front Line is seriously concerned for the safety of members of the Centre for Human Rights Legal Action (CALDH), a non-governmental organisation which campaigns for truth and justice on behalf of victims of genocide in Guatemala.

In April 2004 it brought the case of the massacre on 18 July 1982 of 268 inhabitants of the community of Plan de Sanchez by the Guatemalan armed forces before the Inter American Court on Human Rights, which subsequently condemned the Guatemalan Government for the massacre. CALDH is also a member of the coalition promoting the creation of the Commission for the Investigation of Illegal bodies and Clandestine Security Operations (CICIACS). Christina Laur, a member of CALDH, attended the Front Line Second Dublin Platform for Human Rights Defenders in September 2003.

According to reports received by Front Line, on 14 and 15 July 2004 the home of the director of CALDH, Edda Gaviola, was broken into. Nothing was stolen but intimidating messages were left and her personal documents had been searched.