Three criminalized Chicoyogüito defenders in court today, community seeks their land back from the Creompaz military base

Published by Brent Patterson on

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Caso Creompaz has noted that there will be a hearing today, Friday July 16, at 8 am (10 am in Ottawa) at the Criminal Court in Cobán, Guatemala.

Caso Creompaz explains: “This hearing will review coercion measures against three Chicoyogüito community members arrested when they started a peaceful demonstration on June 9 in Cobán, demanding the return of their territory from which they were stripped 53 years ago by the Guatemalan Army.”

You can follow the hearing on Twitter and Facebook.

La Hora reports: “On June 18, the first statement hearing was held, where [21 community members] were linked to trial for the crimes of aggravated usurpation and three for attack. 18 of them were granted coercive measures, including financial security of 5,000 Quetzal [about CAD$800], while three were sent to pretrial detention.”

And Prensa Comunitaria reports: “The protesters said they did not intend to carry out an invasion, but to demand the return of their lands, dispossessed by the army in 1968, to build Military Zone 21, which was a center for illegal detention, torture and extrajudicial executions [and is now the Creompaz base].”

That article also notes: “Outside the courthouse, dozens of residents of the community expressed their solidarity with the detainees, calling for their release. ‘We are not invaders’ and ‘Political Prisoners’ can be read on the placards they carried.”

PBI webinar on Creompaz

Yesterday, PBI-Canada hosted a webinar with two members of the Chicoyogüito community, lawyer Santiago Choc Cú of the Human Rights Law Firm (BDH) who is seeking the prosecution of the military officers who committed genocidal acts at Military Zone 21, and World Beyond War Canada organizer Rachel Small.

The Peace Brigades International-Guatemala Project has accompanied the Chicoyogüito Neighborhood Association of Alta Verapaz (AVECHAV) since 2015 and the Human Rights Law Firm (BDH) since 2013.

To watch the video of the webinar, please click here.

#JusticiaParaChicoyogüito


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