The U.N. Rapporteur Against Racism, Dodou Diene, has requested stronger legislation to eradicate racial discrimination in Guatemala. This conclusion follows his visit in late June to investigate the causes of discrimination against indigenous peoples in Guatemala.
"I am very happy because this is the first time that a vice president has recognized the existence of discrimination in this country," Diene said after his June 28 meeting with Guatemala's vice president, according to the Guatemala Human Rights Commission. Meeting with representatives of Guatemala's Permanent Commission and Congressional Commission on Indigenous Issues, Diene called upon Guatemala's congress to focus on the construction of a peaceful nation and legislate to end racial discrimination. Diene told officials he was concerned about the lack of indigenous representatives in the country's elected offices—only 12 of 158 members of congress are indigenous. He also suggested that electoral procedures be remodeled in an effort to give greater participation to all communities.
During a meeting with Diene, Nobel laureate Rigoberta Menchu commented that confronting racism in Guatemala is particularly difficult because it is not classified as a crime with punitive repercussions.
Diene’s visit follows the June debut of the Guatemalan Association of Mayan Lawyers (AANMG), made up of 94 indigenous lawyers and notaries with the goal of undermining racism and discrimination. The newly created group will play a role in selecting judges and defending the individual and collective rights of indigenous peoples in Central America. The group’s priority is to represent members of the Maya community in legal battles connected to land entitlement, minority rights, and oil. Amilcar Pop, founder of AANMG, pointed out that there has never been an indigenous judge in the nation’s court system. "To the degree that our legal mentality does not change, the legal structure of the country will not change," Pop told the Guatemala Human Rights Commission.
