By Michael Gould-Wartofsky and Kelly Lee - May 18, 2009

While Guatemala's thirty-six-year internal armed conflict ended in 1996, "peace" has not meant justice for the survivors of its disappearances, torture, rape and murder, which ultimately took the lives of 200,000--mostly indigenous Mayans--and culminated in what a UN commission called "acts of genocide." Those responsible remain in positions of power.

by SchNEWS - Friday 18th April 2008

In the Quiche region of northern Guatemala...lies the isolated Ixcan Municipality. It is home to around 75,000 indigenous Mayans who are mostly subsistence farmers...[T]he area also contains many of Guatemala’s most coveted natural resources...One of these, the Chixoy River, is the controversial proposed location for what would be Guatemala’s largest hydroelectric development. If built, the dam is set to flood an area of 7.5km, displacing at least 3000 people and destroying the agricultural land and livelihoods of around 6-8000...Unsuprisingly, the plan is meeting huge resistance from the Ixcan population.

Jesus Tecu Osario at age 16 asked...if he told his story, what would happen? Jesus was encouraged to talk...In his opinion the Peace Accords may have been signed in '96 but...the people of the land, mainly Mayans...did not participate. So who did? International corporations, financiers...[H]e sees that what is happening now is the implementation of worse repression. By whom[?]...[I]nternational corporations...people who made deals with the army and are now trying to make sure this continues...This is a colonialism more savage than the 70s, the 80s.

Nightmarish crimes against women have been occurring with horrifying frequency in Guatemala. In the last seven years, over 3,200 Guatemalan women have been abducted and murdered, with many of them raped, tortured, and mutilated in the doing. The number of victims has shown a striking increase in the last few years with some six hundred murdered in 2006 alone...Independent investigators charge that the vast majority of present-day atrocities against women have been committed by current or former members of the Guatemalan intelligence services.

Protesters in Guatemala have disrupted an Army Day parade, which they said was an insult to the memory of the war's 200,000 mostly civilian victims..."We believe that an institution that committed genocide should not be honored..."

I should like to trace the paradoxical discourse not only of the western doctrines, but also of Middle-Eastern contexts, to show the contrary relations between dominant readings/interpretations and the volition and power which resistance and refusal can garner for its benefit. I will shortly speak about the Shari-ah. The Shari’ah is the body of Islamic law that was developed by religious scholars (Ulama’s) after the death of the Prophet Muhammad.

There are many battles being fought in the name of social justice...some more pitched than others. In general, however, these struggles do not result in victory thanks to a petition, a candlelight vigil, or a ballot pull. In other words, those seeking peace, justice, and solidarity should never underestimate the relentless and brutal power of what they are up against.

(Adan) Castillo, who is accused of conspiring to import and distribute cocaine in the US, was detained after arriving in the (US)...Mr Castillo was in the US state of Virginia for a training course on how to fight drug trafficking through ports when he was arrested, Guatemalan Interior Minister Carlos Vielman said.

"The Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), a precursor to the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) and an extension of the existing North American Free Trade Area (NAFTA), was passed by the legislature of Guatemala on Thursday, March 10. Massive anti-CAFTA protests in Guatemala City had delayed the vote on the treaty, but CAFTA was finally passed with thousands of police surrounding the Guatemalan congress and tear gas wafting throughout downtown."

GUATEMALA CITY -- "Hundreds of protesters blocked lawmakers from voting on a free-trade agreement between Central America and the United States on Tuesday and authorities said they were prepared to send troops if the demonstrations continued."

By OffTheMap | Exclusive to Resist.ca

The Guatemalan military is doing battle with the indigenous people of Los Encuentros as they try to protect their land from Montana Explorada, a Canadian subsidiary of Glamis Gold. The company is moving in equipment to begin the extraction process despite not having obtained permission from the community as required by ILO conventions to which Guatemala is bound.