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Antécédents de l'affaire: Pedro Rafael Maldonado Flores

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À propos de la situation

Le 3 avril 2017, des inconnus à moto ont tiré de huit à douze coups de feu contre un véhicule garé devant le domicile du défenseur Pedro Rafael Maldonado Flores à Guatemala City.

À propos de Pedro Rafael Maldonado Flores

Pedro Rafael Maldonado FloresPedro Rafael Maldonado Flores est défenseur des droits humains et travaille pour le Centro de Acción Legal, Ambiental y Social de Guatemala - CALAS (Centre d’action juridique, environnementale et sociale du Guatemala). CALAS œuvre en faveur de l'environnement, promeut la participation des communautés et le respect des droits collectifs des communautés indigènes face aux problèmes environnementaux.

6 Avril 2017
Actes d'intimidation contre le défenseur des droits humains Pedro Rafael Maldonado Flores

Le 3 avril 2017, des inconnus à moto ont tiré de huit à douze coups de feu contre un véhicule garé devant le domicile du défenseur Pedro Rafael Maldonado Flores à Guatemala City.

Pedro Rafael Maldonado Flores est directeur du Centro de Acción Legal, Ambiental y Social de Guatemala - CALAS (Centre d’action juridique, environnementale et sociale du Guatemala). CALAS est une organisation de défense des droits humains qui promeut les questions environnementales, la participation communautaire et le respect des droits collectifs des communautés autochtones. CALAS dénonce activement les exactions perpétrées par les compagnies minières dans la région, en particulier la multinationale Tahoe Resources Inc., et sa filiale guatémaltèque Minera San Rafael S.A.

Le 3 avril 2017 vers 9h20, des inconnus à moto sont passés devant le domicile de Pedro Rafael Maldonado Flores et ont tiré huit coups de feu contre un véhicule commercial garé de l'autre coté de la rue. L'incident a été signalé aux autorités locales et au parquet.

Les membres de CALAS ont été pris pour cible à de nombreuses reprises à cause de leur travail en faveur des droits humains. Pedro Rafael Maldonado Flores a déjà été victime d'intimidations, d'agressions, de campagnes de diffamation, de menaces et d'acharnement judiciaire. Le 12 novembre 2016, Jeremy Abraham Barrios Lima, membre de CALAS, a été abattu par des agresseurs inconnus qui étaient à moto et il est mort des suites de ses blessures. En janvier 2016, Pedro Rafael Maldonado Flore a été ciblé par la Fundación Contra el Terrorismo, une organisation composée d'anciens militaires, d'entreprises multinationales et d'autres groupes. L'organisation a porté des accusations contre lui devant le tribunal pour des crimes tels que discrimination, menaces, vol aggravé, contrainte, incitation au crime et complot, et l'affaire a été acceptée.

En novembre 2015, le défenseur a été menacé de mort sur son compte Twitter. Cela fait suite à une attaque contre le siège de CALAS en juillet 2015; un tireur inconnu à moto avait tiré plusieurs coups de feu devant les bureaux de l'organisation. Le défenseur a aussi été nommé dans plusieurs articles diffamatoires parus dans la presse en 2013.

Pedro Rafael Maldonado Flores bénéficie des mesures de protection de la Commission interaméricaine des droits de l'Homme (CIDH). En décembre 2015, il a été placé sous protection (medidas de seguridad personal) sur ordre du ministère de l'Intérieur guatémaltèque. Malgré cela, Pedro Rafael Maldonado Flores et ses collègues de CALAS pensent qu'ils sont toujours en danger, car ils sont toujours pris pour cible. Ces mesures de protection n'empêchent pas Pedro Rafael Maldonado Flores d'être la cible d'acharnement judiciaire.

Front Line Defenders est préoccupée par ces derniers actes d'intimidation contre Pedro Rafael Maldonado Flores. Nous sommes également préoccupés par les actes d'intimidation et de harcèlement persistants contre d'autres membres de CALAS à cause de leur travail légitime. 

Front Line Defenders exhorte les autorités du Guatemala à:

1. Ouvrir immédiatement une enquête approfondie et impartiale sur les actes d'intimidation contre Pedro Rafael Maldonado Flores, dans le but de publier les résultats et de traduire les responsables en justice conformément aux normes internationales;

2. Prendre toutes les mesures nécessaires, en accord avec les défenseur-ses des droits humains et/ou leurs représentants, pour garantir l'intégrité physique et psychologique et la sécurité de Pedro Rafael Maldonado Flores et de tous les membres de Calas;

3. Garantir qu’en toutes circonstances, tous-tes les défenseur-ses des droits humains au Guatemala puissent mener à bien leurs actions légitimes en faveur des droits humains, sans craindre ni restrictions ni représailles.

4 Décembre 2015
Death threats against human rights defender Pedro Rafael Maldonado Flores

On 30 November 2015 human rights defender Pedro Rafael Maldonado Floresreceived death threats via his twitter account. The threatening message he received was sent from an account under the name of Armando Romero (@Armarome78) and it read "You are running out of time, I advise you to flee, pig son of a bitch. You have been warned" (“Se te acaba el tiempo, te aconsejo que huyas cerdo hdp. Guerra avisada no mata gente”). It is believed that this account was created with the sole purpose to threaten and intimidate Rafael Maldonado because the account did not have any followers and had only published tweets intimidating the human rights lawyer.

The human rights defender is a beneficiary of protection measures from the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights. However, the Guatemalan State has failed to fulfill the measures and grant him protection.

The human rights defender was in the offices of CALAS on 29 July 2015 when an unknown gunman riding a motorcycle fired a number of shots outside. He also received a previous death threat in May 2015 when an unknown woman approached him at a bank and said “Soon you are going to pay for the work you are doing. You will see what will happen as a result of the work you are doing against the mining company, you are causing a lot of damage and so they will kill you” (“Ya va a pagar ese trabajo que esta haciendo. Va a ver lo que le va a pasar por ese trabajo que está haciendo en contra de la minera, usted está haciendo un montón de daño y por eso lo van a matar”).

2 Juillet 2013
Defamatory article against human rights organisation CALAS published in four national newspapers

On 1 July and 30 June 2013, a four-page full-colour article was issued by theFundación Contra el Terrorismo-FCT(Foundation Against Terrorism) in four national newspapers, in which human rights organisation Centro de Acción Legal, Ambiental y Social de Guatemala – CALAS (Legal, Environmental and Social Action Centre of Guatemala) and two of its leaders, Dr Yuri Giovanni Melini Salguero and Mr Pedro Rafael Maldonado Floreswere defamed and denigrated.

CALAS works to promote community participation and respect for the collective rights of indigenous peoples in relation to environmental concerns. Yuri Giovanni Melini Salguero is the director of the organisation, whilst Pedro Rafael Maldonado Flores is the legal, political and environmental co-ordinator. CALAS has actively protested against the planned construction of a liquid petroleum plant in the protected area of Refugio de Vida Silvestre "Punta de Manabique”, in Izabal with the result that the Ministry for the Environment and Natural Resources and the National Council for Protected Areas denied authorisation for the construction of this plant.

The Foundation Against Terrorism was set up by former military officials and military supporters and has previously published an article entitled La Farsa del Genocidio en Guatemala – Conspiración Marxista desde la Iglesia Católica (The Farce of Genocide in Guatemala – a Marxist Conspiracy by the Catholic Church). In the article published on 1 July and 30 June 2013, it is alleged that CALAS uses funds it receives from 'poderosas entidades internacionales' (powerful international entities) such as OXFAM and the Norwegian government to foment conflict in areas where mining and the cultivation of mono-cultures takes place. Yuri Giovanni Melini Salguero and Pedro Rafael Maldonado Flores, in particular, are accused of orchestrating campaigns of disinformation against mining companies in order to contribute to conflict between indigenous people and the companies in these areas. The human rights defenders are accused of endangering the economic progress of Guatemala and depriving the country of any opportunity for development. The article goes on to claim that CALAS fabricated stories of health scares in relation to the mine Mina Marlin in San Miguel Ixtahuacan. The Inter-American Commission for Human Rights - IACHR later ordered the closure of this mine.

Yuri Giovanni Melini Salguero was the subject of an assassination attempt on 11 September 2008.  He was the 2009 recipient of the Front Line Defenders Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk. Front Line Defenders has issued urgent appeals on threats and intimidatory acts against him and Pedro Rafael Maldonado Flores on 4 April 2013, 30 August 2011 as well as on other occasions.

4 Avril 2013
Fear for the safety of human rights defender Pedro Rafael Maldonado Flores following a break-in at his home

On 3 April 2013 the home of human rights defender Mr Pedro Rafael Maldonado Flores in Guatemala City was broken into for the second time in recent weeks. Several items were stolen and confidential documents were reviewed. This break-in took place shortly after another serious security incident occurred at the home of the human rights defender.

On 3 April 2013, Pedro Rafael Maldonado Flores was accompanying Dr Yuri Melini and members of communities affected by mining activities who had been refused access to case files concerning the granting of mining licences by the Ministry for Energy and Mining. Upon his return to his home he found that it had been broken into and number of items were missing and confidential documents had been reviewed.

On 2 April 2013 members of the Guatemalan National Civil Police (PNC) had visited his home as a result of orders from the Ministry of the Interior following a previous break-in on 19 March 2013. The PNC informed him of the security measures they could provide, however, these measures are inadequate given the nature of the attack and as can be seen by the most recent incident.

Previously, on 19 March 2013, at approximately 11am, Pedro Rafael Maldonado Flores was in his bedroom on the second floor of his residence when he noticed an unknown man on the outside patio of the second floor. When the intruder realised he had been seen, he immediately retreated. The human rights defender exited the bedroom to another room, from where he noticed another unknown man outside the window of the dining room. This man also retreated once he had been seen by the human rights defender. Both intruders moved down the stairs which lead to the garage, and at this point Pedro Rafael Maldonado Flores observed two other individuals in front of his house watching the building.

The human rights defender, unable to leave his home due to fears for his security, contacted his colleague and fellow human rights defender Dr Yuri Melini for assistance. Dr Melini arrived at the house along with National Civil Police agents fifteen minutes later. It was discovered that the electric gate at Pedro Rafael Maldonado Flores's home had been forced open and the electric controls had been disconnected. He has recorded photographic and video evidence of damage carried out to the security mechanisms on his property. A complaint was subsequently filed at the Ministry of the Interior.

[The funeral of Encarnación Marcos Ucelo] The funeral of Encarnación Marcos Ucelo

Pedro Rafael Maldonado Flores believes that these break-ins are linked to his work on cases opposing mining activities in the departments of Santa Rosa and Jalapa. On 17 March 2013, the human rights defender participated in a public consultation in the municipality of San Rafael de las Flores, held to discuss a mining project in the area, along with human rights defenders and indigenous people's leaders Messrs. Encarnación Marcos Ucelo, Rigoberto Aguilar, Rodolfo López and Roberto González.

The latter were the subject of an urgent appeal by Front Line Defenders on 22 March 2013, following the kidnapping and the killing of Encarnación Marcos Ucelo, in the wake of the above-mentioned public consultation. Pedro Rafael Maldonado Flores has been the subject of threats and intimidation since his participation in the same consultation.

30 Août 2011
Threats against human rights defenders Dr Yuri Giovanni Melini Salguero and Mr Pedro Rafael Maldonado Flores

Human rights defenders Dr Yuri Giovanni Melini Salguero and Mr Pedro Rafael Maldonado Flores received threats on 29 August 2011. Yuri Giovanni Melini Salguero is the director of the Centro de Acción Legal, Ambiental y Social de Guatemala – CALAS (Legal, Environmental and Social Action Centre of Guatemala) and Pedro Rafael Maldonado Flores is a legal-political environmental coordinator with the same organisation.

CALAS works to promote environmental issues, community participation and respect for the collective rights of indigenous communities in relation to environmental concerns. Yuri Giovanni Melini Salguero received the 2009 Front Line Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk. Front Line previously issued an appeal in relation to an assassination attempt against Yuri Giovanni Melini Salguero on 4 September 2008, and death threats in April 2010.

On 29 August 2011, at approximately 09:30 am, Yuri Giovanni Melini Salguero and Pedro Rafael Maldonado Flores each received a letter in a manila envelope which had been sent by registered post. The name registered as the sender of both letters was José Humberto Franco (20 calle 7-22, zona 1), with a registered sending date of 25 August.

Each envelope contained a threatening note which made mention of the recent dismissal of Federico Guillermo Alvarez Mancilla from the role of Executive Secretary of the Consejo Nacional de Áreas protegidas – CONAP (National Council of Protected Areas) on 23 August 2011 as a result of pressure from environmental organisations, including CALAS.

Within the threatening note are the lines “RAFAEL MALDONADO SIENTETE TRIUNFADOR” (Rafael Maldonado feel like a winner) and “YURI YURI, YURI YURI NO APRENDES QUE LA VIDA HAY QUE LLEVARLA EN PAZ. ESTO QUE LES MANDAMMOS ES PARA Que VERIFIQUEN QUE TODO VA EN SERIE Y EN SERIO MUY EN SERIO. USTEDES SERAN PARTE DE LA ECOCADENA. ANONIMUS O COMO QUIERAN” (Yuri, Yuri, Yuri, do you never learn that life should be lived in peace. This that we send you is to verify that everything happens in sequence, and is serious, very serious. You will both be part of the ecochain. Anonymous or as you like).

A memorandum from the Controller General of Accounts which had been sent to former officials of the Ministry of the Interior under the Presidency of Óscar Berger which referred to several objections relating to purchases and business negotiations with a reference number: DCGC-MG-OF-160-2008 Ref Core activities. The memorandum is dated 18 April 2008 and stamped by Erwin Johann Sperinsen Vernon.

A series of photographs, and in some cases sketches of their home locations, of 18 suspected criminals.

On 25 August 2011, Federico Guillermo Alvarez Mancilla gave an interview on President Colom's radio programme in which he referred to Yuri Giovanni Melini Salguero as an “ecohistérico” (eco-hysteric). This statement was picked up by a number of media outlets who used the same term to describe other environmentalists, and alluding to the fact that it was this hysteria which led to the dismissal of the former Executive Secretary of CONAP.

On 4 September 2008, Yuri Giovanni Melini Salguero was shot 7 times outside the home of a family member. Over the previous two years he had documented 128 attacks on environmental activists and led the campaign to bring the assassins of environmental campaigners lawyers Erwin Ochoa López and Julio Armando Vásquez (CONAP workers) to justice. They were murdered because of the work they were carrying out in relation to the legal defence of protected areas on Guatemala's Atlantic Coast. As a result of this attack, Yuri Giovanni Melini Salguero and CALAS have been granted protection measures from the State since September 2008.