Brenda Marleni Estrada Tambito
Brenda Marleni Estrada Tambito was a member of the Coalition of Workers' Unions of Guatemala (Unión Sindical de Trabajadores de Guatemala - UNSITRAGUA) and the Sub-Coordinator of the Legal Aid Commission within the union. Present nationwide, UNSITRAGUA brings together workers' unions from the manufacturing, services and agricultural industries as well as self-employed workers and independent farmers. The human rights defender was also the daughter of lawyer Jorge Estrada, a long time member of UNSITRAGUA and an advocate for labour rights.
HRDs in Guatemala are subjected to death threats, physical attacks, acts of harassment, surveillance, stigmatisation, judicial harassment, arbitrary detention, forced disappearance and killings. Many of the violations are carried out by clandestine security structures and illegal groups. The exceptionally high level of impunity enjoyed by the perpetrators increases the risk exponentially for HRDs.
