GUATEMALA: INDIGENOUS LEADER SHOT: JULIO DAVID GONZLEZ ARANGO
GUATEMALA: INDIGENOUS LEADER SHOT: JULIO DAVID GONZÁLEZ ARANGO
25 January 2021, Index number: AMR 34/3572/2021
On 16 January 2021, Xinca defender Julio David González Arango was shot by an armed man on a property he owns in Mataquescuintla, a town in the Jalapa department, south-east Guatemala. Julio González is now safe and recovering from injuries. He has been a public leader defending the rights of the Xinca people against the Pan American Silver’s Escobal mine and has been attacked in the past due to his work. We call on the Guatemala’s General Attorney to conduct a prompt, independent, and impartial investigation into the attack against Julio González and any other previous aggression against the Xinca People.
https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/amr34/3572/2021/en/
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https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EsSoAf7UwAEiuga?format=png&name=900x900
Julio David González Arango
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Almost 200 international organizations denounce attacks against peaceful resistance to Escobal mine in Guatemala
January 25, 2021
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On 21 January, 2021 Ellen Moore in Earthworks reports that more than 190 organizations have denounced an armed attack against Guatemalan land defender Julio David González Arango, a leader in the peaceful resistance to Pan American Silver’s Escobal mine. Julio was shot and wounded on January 16 at his home. Since the attack, two other members of the peaceful resistance have received threatening messages saying they’ll be next. The letter calls on the Guatemalan Attorney General to immediately launch a thorough investigation into the attack and hold the material and intellectual authors of this crime responsible. Julio has led opposition to the Escobal mine for nearly a decade, facing numerous criminalization and defamation campaigns against him by supporters of the mine. Saturday’s terrifying attack is part of a long history of violence against opponents of the Escobal mine since the project was first imposed in 2011. A Constitutional Court order suspended the mine in 2017 pending consultation with the Xinka people. But the threats and defamation campaigns against community leaders never stopped. In early December, a complaint was filed with Guatemalan authorities denouncing threats against Julio. Community leaders report that following the filing of the complaint, threats against them actually increased, including threats directed at Xinka representatives who are participating in the consultation process.
This is a dangerous time for land-defenders impacted by the Escobal mine, which Xinka leaders say is made worse by Pan American Silver’s ongoing community outreach. For more than two years, the Xinka have called on the company to respect the court ordered suspension and halt all mining activities, including community programs, which they say stoke tensions and undermine their ability to freely participate in the consultation process.
While the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM) recently agreed to accept all 59 Xinka representatives in the consultation process, marking the first significant advancement in almost two years, serious obstacles remain. A recent report details a slew of attacks against judicial independence in Guatemala, including allegations of corruption within the Supreme Court. This is significant for the Escobal mine consultation given that the Supreme Court is the main arbiter in the process, responsible for ensuring that the Constitutional Court order is upheld and Xinka rights are respected. Without an independent and impartial Supreme Court, Xinka communities are left in an increasingly precarious and dangerous situation.
https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/tag/julio-david-gonzalez-arango/
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PBI-Guatemala notes attack on Xinca defender Julio David González who opposes Canadian Escobal mine
Article by PBI-Canada
On January 16, the Peace Brigades International-Guatemala Project posted this article from Prensa Comunitaria about the attack on Julio David González.
The Maritimes-Guatemala Breaking the Silence Network had also tweeted: “Xinka leader & human rights defender Julio David Gonzalez Arango was just attacked in his home. We stand in solidarity w/ the Xinka People & echo [the Xinka Parliament]’s calls for an investigation + an end to criminalization & violence.”
Guatemalan journalist Jody Garcia adds: “The Xinka Parliament denounces that this morning one of its leaders, Julio David González, suffered an attack. According to information from [the Xinka Parliament], a man arrived at González’s premises, pretended to be a client, and shot him. He is stable, but the community is alert.”
The Escobal mine is located about 75 kilometres southeast of Guatemala City in the rural municipality of San Rafael Las Flores in Santa Rosa Department.
The mine went into operation in early 2014, but after community protests a Constitutional Court ruling stopped production at the mine in 2017.
MiningWatch Canada has explained: “Operations at the mine have been suspended since June 2017 as a result of direct community action and court decisions finding that the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM) discriminated against the Xinka and violated their Indigenous rights when it failed to consult with them.”
More:
https://pbiusa.org/content/pbi-guatemala-notes-attack-xinca-defender-julio-david-gonz%C3%A1lez-who-opposes-canadian-escobal
Best wishes for a full return to health for Julio David González.