PBI-Spanish State and Mundubat initiate the Voces defensoras (Defending Voices) solidarity network

The Defending Voices Platform is a joint initiative of Peace Brigades International-Spanish State and Mundubat, “an NGO of men and women from various social realities committed to a change in the world order.”

The website explains: “Many of the people who defend fundamental rights, as well as their organizations and communities, are exposed to threats, stigmatization and violence. We are building a solidarity platform to generate critical awareness about their situation, as well as to be a speaker about their struggles and demands.”

Areas of work

-The work of human rights organizations in their fight against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in Honduras.

-The work carried out by the organizations that defend rights to incorporate ethnic demands (indigenous and Afro) in the current process of recovery of historical memory and peace process in Colombia.

-Power relations and the causes of violation of rights suffered by defense organizations in Guatemala for the defense of land and territory.

-The participation of the feminist movement in defense of the rights of Mexico.

-The threats and criminalization against human rights defenders organizations (right to defend) the context of the occupation of Palestine.

-The role of human rights organizations in Occupied Sahara (ASVDH) for defending international law for the Saharawi people.

Action

1- Join, as an organization or individually, the Defending Voices platform. You will receive information on the situation of human rights defenders, their struggles, their demands, their achievements and their concrete proposals for action.

2- Share the information. The more people who know it, the less impunity those who attack the defenders will have.

3- You can also join specific actions on issues that we promote from the platform to denounce and make visible the violations of rights suffered by human rights defenders.

Recent action

The Platform recently issued an “Alert for attacks on human rights defenders in Guatemala” that expressed “concern about the threats, intimidation and provocations that human rights defenders, journalists and social communicators are suffering in El Estor, Izabal” in relation to the Solway-CGN mine on Q’eqchi’ Maya territory.

That letter was signed by 252 organizations including: Amnesty International Canada; Atlantic Regional Solidarity Network; Canadian Network on Corporate Accountability; Catherine Nolin, Guatemala Research Group, University of Northern BC;  Comité pour les Droits Humains en Amérique Latine; Just Us Coffee Roasters Co-op; Mining Injustice Solidarity Network; Mining Justice Action Committee (MJAC); MiningWatch Canada; Projet Accompagnement Québec-Guatemala; Tatamagouche Centre; and United Steelworkers.

To learn more about the Defending Voices Platform, please click here.

Join! It’s our turn! They also defend me!