Agrarian Conflict & Indigenous Peoples’ Rights in Alta Verapaz: PBI UK's Exclusive Reception and Report Launch Event
PBI UK recently had the privilege of hosting an exclusive reception and report launch event at the prestigious Doughty Street Chambers, marking the unveiling of the Independent Delegation of International Lawyers to Guatemala’s report. The event shed light on the pressing human rights issues affecting Guatemalan Indigenous communities and how they are impacted by the complex democratic crisis that Guatemala is currently facing. It offered a unique opportunity for people to come together, both online and in person, allowing a wide range of individuals from donors and embassies to Indigenous leaders and Masters students to engage with these critical issues and join the conversation.
Hearing From Indigenous Human Rights Defenders Themselves
One of the event's most significant highlights was the opportunity to hear from Indigenous leaders Lesbia Artola and Sandra Calel, who receive protective accompaniment from PBI. Lesbia leads the 'Comité Campesino del Altiplano' (CCDA), fighting for access to land and labour rights for the Indigenous Mayan Q'eqchi. Sandra is a Maya-Poqomchi' Indigenous woman, an Indigenous environmental rights defender and one of the 'Verapaz Union of Campesino Organisations' (UVOC) leaders. Both these women, who have been at the forefront of the fight for Indigenous land and women’s rights, have been subjected to criminalisation, stigmatisation, attacks and death threats for their tireless work defending their fundamental rights.
The panel: Camila Zapata Besso, Lesbia Artola, James Lupton (interpreter), Sandra Calel, Stephen Cragg KC (from left to right).
During the event, they were able to share their insights on how the situation in Guatemala has considerably worsened, with Indigenous people now the vanguard of the resistance, as well as how Indigenous people - but particularly women - are being criminalised while attempting to preserve their territories. They also detailed how corporate actors and the Guatemalan Government have been restricting communities’ access to justice, a point that requires international intervention and support. With respect to Bernardo Arévalo’s incoming Semilla Government - despite the current threats to democracy and suspension attempts from the ruling elite - they shared that whilst they did not believe it is possible to resolve seventy years of problems overnight, they have hope that the new Government will listen to the population and jumpstart the required progress, a prerequisite for necessary change.
The Report Unveiled
The heart of the event was the release of the Independent Delegation of International Lawyers to Guatemala report, titled "We are not trespassers: this is our land": Agrarian conflict and Indigenous peoples' rights in Alta Verapaz. The report came into genesis after an Independent Delegation of International Lawyers travelled to Alta Verapaz and Guatemala City in March 2023, following recent disturbing reports from the United Nations, the Inter-American human rights systems and civil society regarding the deteriorating human rights of Indigenous communities and human rights defenders, in the context of the agrarian conflict in Guatemala. They interviewed various actors, from Indigenous community members and civil society organisations, to the diplomatic community and State authorities responsible for land demarcation and titling. The report serves as a rallying cry for structural reform to address the systematic dispossession of land and violence against Indigenous communities, which was echoed during the event by Doughty Street lawyers Camila Zapata Besso and Stephen Cragg KC, in addition to PBI UK Director, Ben Leather.
The report's contents sparked critical conversations during the event about the essential role of the international community and how the issues discussed are not confined to Guatemala alone. Guatemala’s economic and political ties with the world make it a matter of global significance, and the supply chains that extend from Guatemala’s raw materials to Europe and the UK underscore the importance of legislation for supply chain human rights and environmental due diligence in the EU and UK. Multinational corporations headquartered in these regions should be held accountable for their actions abroad, ensuring they do not profit from these human rights violations, and we hope that this conversation serves as a catalyst for global discussions on the responsibility of multinational corporations and the importance of promoting ethical supply chains.
Call to Action!
The release of the Independent Delegation of International Lawyers to Guatemala report represents a pivotal moment in the ongoing struggle for democracy and Indigenous rights within Guatemala. It calls for structural reform, supply chain due diligence and protection of human rights defenders.
The event opens the floor to questions from the audience, both online and in-person
As attendees/readers, we are not just observers, but active participants in advocating for justice and human rights, and we still have a role to play in raising awareness, advocating for change and standing in solidarity with Indigenous communities in Guatemala and across the world. It is evident that the issues discussed at this event are not isolated. They have a global dimension that calls for our collective action and commitment.
If the event (or this article) got you fired up, here are some easy ways that you can help:
Take 10 minutes to write to your MP and ask them what they are doing to ensure the UK government supports land and environmental defenders, and stands up for Indigenous communities in Guatemala. You can find your local MP here and use our handy email template here.
Take 30 seconds to sign the Corporate Justice Coalition petition calling on Parliament to support a new law against human rights abuses and environmental destruction in supply chains worldwide. This legislation will help ensure that ALL companies are required to conduct business responsibly and will face consequences if they don’t. This is essential to overcoming Indigenous communities' challenges in Guatemala and worldwide.
You can also sign up for our quarterly newsletter to learn about additional opportunities to support threatened human rights defenders in Guatemala and globally.
Lastly, please help us continue to support Sandra, Lesbia and other brave human rights defenders by donating to PBI UK today.
We would like to extend our gratitude, once again, for being a part of such a pivotal event!
