It has been two weeks since the passing of community radio founder and social and environmental activist, Daniel Pedro Mateo. Our team at Cultural Survival, as well as members of community radio stations in our network, have been deeply saddened by this loss. As well, many stations worry about similar repercussions in the future, feeling that the political climate is not safe for social activists or community leaders at this time.
On May 25, 2013, more than 25 community radio station volunteers from Cultural Survival’s radio network across Guatemala gathered for a workshop in the Mujb’ab’l Yol training center in San Mateo, Quetzaltenango. The focus of the workshop was on Indigenous People’s Rights.
On April 19, Judge Jassmin Barrios declared that the hearing in the trial charging Efraín Ríos Montt with genocide will be temporarily suspended while the Constitutional Court addresses the annulment of the trial by Judge Patricia Flores.
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On April 16, 2013, the body of Qanjob’al community activist Daniel Pedro Mateo was found murdered in Santa Eulalia, Huehuetenango, Guatemala. He had been kidnapped for 12 days and his body showed signs of torture.
Another community leader from Santa Cruz Barillas, Huehuetenango has been captured by the Police and incarcerated in Guatemala City as a result of his outspoken opposition to the Spanish company Hidro Santa Cruz’s construction of a hydroelectric dam in the Q’anjob’al Mayan community. Rubén Herrera was captured on March 15th in the city of Huehuetenango, and charged with kidnapping, terrorism, coercion, arson, among many other crimes.
El siguinte comunidado fue elaborado por el Consejo de Pueblos del Occidente, el CPO como resulto de la captura del compañero Rubén Herrera, que ha luchado por los derechos del pueblo en contra del proyecto hidroelectrco por la empresa Hidro Santa Cruz.
Para firmar su peticion, por favor envia tu nombre, (y ubicación y institution) al contrareglamento@gmail.com antes del 25 de abril.
March 9-10, the Cultural Survival team completed our final of a series of exchanges between 12 community radio stations here in Guatemala.
On February 22, 2013, in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, Cultural Survival and local community radio association Mujb'ab'l yol held a forum aimed at spreading the word regarding the role of community radio in the fight to democratize speech in Guatemala. With close to 100 guests, including representatives from Congress, and members of the police force and military, the movement gained new sources of support and strengthened existing sources of support.
Land Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that we are headquartered on Massachusett land, in Cambridge, MA, and we thank the past, current, and future Indigenous stewards of this territory.
