Help Secure Human Rights in Guatemala

Date: 
Monday, December 10, 2012

For more than 20 years, the Maya Achi people of Río Negro, Guatemala have sought justice for the massacre of loved ones that took place during Guatamala's civil war in the early 1980s. The government brutally cleared the way for construction of the Chixoy Dam – a project funded by the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank – by devastating entire communities, including Río Negro.

Carlos Chen Osorio, who lost his wife and two toddler daughters in the massacre, is co-founder of the Association for the Integral Development of the Victims of the Violence Maya Achi (ADIVIMA), and director and main negotiator for the Coordination of Communities Affected by the Chixoy Hydro-electric Plant (COCAHICH).
Carlos Chen Osorio, who lost his wife and two toddler daughters in the massacre, is co-founder of the Association for the Integral Development of the Victims of the Violence Maya Achi (ADIVIMA), and director and main negotiator for the Coordination of Communities Affected by the Chixoy Hydro-electric Plant (COCAHICH).
Photo courtesy of James Rodríguez

Now, all 33 communities severely impacted by the construction of Chixoy need our help to acheive reparations from the government of Guatemala, the Word Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank.

Political and economic interests have hampered the legalization and implementation of a Reparations Plan, but the affected communities are resolute in pursuing justice. Guatemalan President Pérez Molina has recently shown a willingness to finalize the legal agreements before the end of 2012. But the President and his cabinet need to know that you and the rest of the international community stand in solidarity with the people who were affected by the Chixoy Dam.

Please join with the supporters of International Rivers, Rights Action and the Guatemala Human Rights Commission to send letters to the presidents of Guatemala, the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank. Thank you for your ongoing support of human rights!

Take action to support people from the 33 communities who were devastated by the Chixoy Dam as they seek a long-awaited settlement.

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