Amnesty International - Possible extrajudicial killing/fear for safety
Reposted with permission from Amnesty International
URGENT ACTION APPEAL
Go to http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/newslett.html
to read this month's newsletter.
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UA 205/02
Possible extrajudicial killing/fear for
safety 8 July 2002
GUATEMALA
Members of the Asociacion de Desarrollo Integral de Creek Zarco,
the Zarco Creek Community Association
Other workers from the Lanquin II banana plantation
Killed: Rene Augusto Perez Guitierrez (m)
Amnesty International is deeply concerned for the safety of members
of the Asociacion de Desarrollo Integral de Creek Zarco, Association
for the Integral Development of Zarco Creek, and workers from the
Lanquin II banana plantation. This follows the killing of Rene Augusto
Perez Guitierrez, treasurer of the association in Morales municipality,
Department of Izabal.
Rene Augusto Perez Guitierrez was reportedly shot as he returned
home on the evening of 28 June. Before dying in hospital he
apparently identified his assailants to the police as owners of the
banana plantation and their private security personnel.
Local land activists believe that Rene Augusto Perez Guitierrez was
killed, because of his involvement in the local land conflict on the
Lanquin II banana plantation.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Lanquin II banana plantation is controlled by BANDEGUA, a
Guatemalan subsidiary of the multinational fruit producer, Del Monte
Fresh Produce. In 1998, BANDEGUA decided to sell the Lanquin II
plantation to local cattle ranchers, and pay them to grow and package
bananas, after the plantation was badly damaged by Hurricane Mitch.
Before BANDEGUA can definitively sell the land, it must remove the
peasant farmers who claim they have the right to cultivate plots on
Lanquin lands under an earlier collective agreement reached by their
union SITRABI.
BANDEGUA is said to already be leasing part of the disputed lands to
ranchers, including the Ponce Family in violation of an agreement
signed in 2000. The Ponce Family, who are in conflict with the Zarco
Creek community have recruited their own private security guards.
The murder of Rene Augusto Perez Guitierrez is the sixth killing of
land activists in the last 15 months in the department of Izabal. On 8
March 2002 Jose Benjamin Perez Gonzalez from Lanquin II
plantation (UA 90/02 issued 25 March 2002) was shot first by the
National Civil Police and then in the head by a local ranch owner.
Between 15 April 2001 and 24 June 2002 four members of the Los
Cerritos Community Association (UA 265/01 issued 19 October 2001
and UA 200/02 issued 2 July 2002) were apparently killed by security
personnel from the Las Quebradas plantation. The Guatemalan
authorities have failed to properly investigate the above killings. In
the
case of Jose Benjamin Perez Gonzalez, despite eye witness
accounts testifying that local police and a ranch owner were
responsible for the killing, a peasant farmer was charged for his
murder.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly
as possible:
- calling on the government to investigate the killing of Rene Augusto
Perez Guitierrez, to make the results public and bring those
responsible to justice;
- expressing concern for the safety of members of the Asociacion de
Desarrollo Integral de Creek Zarco, the Association for the Integral
Development of Zarco Creek and workers from the Lanquin II banana
plantation, and urging the authorities to take immediate measures to
guarantee their safety;
- urging the government to investigate allegations that private security
groups linked to the Lanquin II plantation are operating in the area
and may have been responsible for Rene Augusto Perez Guitierrez's
death;
- urging the authorities to take action to peacefully resolve the land
disputes in the Zarco Creek and other communities, to prevent further
human rights violations;
- reminding the authorities that under Guatemalan legislation private
security forces are licenced by government agencies and that it is
therefore the responsibility of the authorities to ensure proper and
effective control over the operations of such groups.
APPEALS TO:
Minister of Agriculture, Livestock & Nutrition:
Sr. Edin Barrientos
Ministro de Agricultura, Ganaderia y Nutricion
Ministerio de Agricultura Ganaderia y Nutricion
Edifio Monja Blanca, 7a Avenida 12-90 Zona 13
Ciudad de Guatemala
GUATEMALA
Telegram: Minister of Agriculture, Ciudad
de Guatemala,
GUATEMALA
Fax: 011 502
332 8302
Salutation: Dear Minister/Senor Ministro
Director of Land Trust:
Lic. Sergio Funes
Fontierras
7 Avenida 8-92, Zona 9,
Ciudad de Guatemala
GUATEMALA
Telegram: Director de Fontierras, Ciudad de Guatemala,
GUATEMALA
Fax: 011 502
334 6373 (If someone answers say 'me
podria dar tono de fax por favor')
Salutation: Dear Director/Senor Director
Presidential Land Agency:
Pedro Palma Lau, Director Ejecutivo
CONTIERRA, Avenida Hincapie 5-71 Zona 13,
Ciudad de Guatemala
GUATEMALA
Telegrams: Director de CONTIERRA, Ciudad de Guatemala,
GUATEMALA
Fax: 011 502
3321525 (If someone answers say 'me
podria dar tono de fax por favor')
Salutation: Dear Director/Senor Director
Local police:
Comisario de Policia
Jefe de Comisaria
Policia Nacional Civil
Avenida Simon Bolivar
Morales
Departamento de Izabal
Guatemala
Telegrams: Comisario de Policia, Morales, Departamento
de
Izabal, Guatemala
Saluation: Estimado Jefe de Comisaria/Dear Chief
of Police
COPIES TO:
Peasants' Unity Committee:
Comite de Unidad Campesina (CUC)
31 Avenida A 14-46 Zona 7,
Ciudad de Plata II Guatemala
GUATEMALA
Tel/Fax: 011 502 434 9754
E-mail: cuc@guate.net
Press agency:
Cerigua
2a calle 1-42, Zona 1
Ciudad de Guatemala
GUATEMALA
Fax: 011 502 238 1456/ 221 2521/ 251 1289
(If someone answers
say 'me podria dar tono de fax por favor')
Ambassador Ariel Rivera Irias
Embassy of Guatemala
2220 R St. NW
Washington DC 20008
Fax: 1 202 745 1908
Please send appeals immediately. Check with the Colorado office
between 9:00 am and 6:00 pm, Mountain Time, weekdays only, if
sending appeals after August 19, 2002.
Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement
that promotes and defends human rights.
Urgent Action Network
Amnesty International USA
PO Box 1270
Nederland CO 80466-1270
Email: uan@aiusa.org
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/
Phone: 303 258 1170
Fax: 303 258 7881
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