Guatemalans seeks international support

Please feel free to post this message and send it to more venues to gather international support for the grass root movement against impunity and the current government.
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Dear Friends,

Guatemala's history is soaked with blood. The 36 years of internal conflict left at least 200,000 people killed and one out of every seven Guatemalans was displaced from her home. The thirteen years since the Peace Agreements were signed, the number of deaths has not declined. Last year more than six thousand Guatemalans died violently and only less than 2% of the cases were investigated and brought to court.

So far this year almost 100 bus drivers have been killed due to extortion from gangs. A month ago, Kalhil Musa, a well respected and known businessman and his daughter were assassinated. Last week Rodrigo Rosenberg, Musa's legal representative was assassinated and, at his funeral, a written statement and a video were delivered to the Guatemalan media, with Rosenberg's warning he might be murdered and accusing President Alvaro Colom of ordering the hit (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxZptUp9a44&feature=related). Colom denies involvement in the crime and blames opponents who want to destabilize his government .

The corruption, deceit and apparent involvement of government officials and the impunity with which they have acted has been a trigger for significant civic movement that demands transparency, accountability and an investigation that yields results that translate into concrete actions against those responsible. In response the government is mobilizing all of its resources to counter the spontaneous demonstrations. Public funds are being used to rent buses and haul in sympathizers, and to pay for T-shirts, sound equipment, giant screens, placards and meals.

The OAS in response to Guatemala's Ambassador's presentation a couple of days ago has declared that Rosenberg's murder is "part of a chain of events over the last months" linked to organized crime, and gave Colom its full support on Wednesday, approving a resolution supporting his administration "in its obligation to preserve the institutions of democracy and the rule of law."
Dear Friends,

Guatemala's history is soaked with blood. The 36 years of internal conflict left at least 200,000 people killed and one out of every seven Guatemalans was displaced from her home. The thirteen years since the Peace Agreements were signed, the number of deaths has not declined. Last year more than six thousand Guatemalans died violently and only less than 2% of the cases were investigated and brought to court.

So far this year almost 100 bus drivers have been killed due to extortion from gangs. A month ago, Kalhil Musa, a well respected and known businessman and his daughter were assassinated. Last week Rodrigo Rosenberg, Musa's legal representative was assassinated and, at his funeral, a written statement and a video were delivered to the Guatemalan media, with Rosenberg's warning he might be murdered and accusing President Alvaro Colom of ordering the hit (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxZptUp9a44&feature=related). Colom denies involvement in the crime and blames opponents who want to destabilize his government .

The corruption, deceit and apparent involvement of government officials and the impunity with which they have acted has been a trigger for significant civic movement that demands transparency, accountability and an investigation that yields results that translate into concrete actions against those responsible. In response the government is mobilizing all of its resources to counter the spontaneous demonstrations. Public funds are being used to rent buses and haul in sympathizers, and to pay for T-shirts, sound equipment, giant screens, placards and meals.

The OAS in response to Guatemala's Ambassador's presentation a couple of days ago has declared that Rosenberg's murder is "part of a chain of events over the last months" linked to organized crime, and gave Colom its full support on Wednesday, approving a resolution supporting his administration "in its obligation to preserve the institutions of democracy and the rule of law."

Please follow this movement and as it shapes we can benefit from the international support of AAVAZ.

Best

Alberto Rivera Gutiérrez