On May 5, PBI-Guatemala posted:

“Yesterday, PBI accompanied the Human Rights Law Firm to the hearing for the presentation of evidence of the #SamocochCase. On this occasion, several accused people testified and a witness presenting on behalf of the prosecution.

On August 15, 2014, a violent eviction occurred in the community of Samococh, Chisec, Alta Verapaz, in which three communities were killed. 23 National Civil Police agents are accused of abuse of power and extrajudicial execution.”

PBI-Guatemala has previously explained: “More than 20 PNC officers are accused of extrajudicial execution, non-compliance with duties and abuse of authority for having caused the death of three Q’eqchi’ community members from Samococh village in Chisec, Alta Verapaz, during a demonstration [on August 15, 2014].”

The demonstration appears to have been against the Santa Rita hydroelectric dam on the Dolores River in Alta Verapaz.

Truthout explains: “In Monte Olivo, the state used its full force against the community. On August 14, 2014, 600 police units were deployed to evict a community of a few hundred families along the River Dolores. …In the following days, two other communities, 9 de Febrero and Samococh, both faced similar violent evictions to make way for the dam. These communities were driven out by 1,600 police units, and 22 community leaders were detained.”

Prensa Libre further notes: “The PNC agents who arrived came from Cobán, where the Public Ministry successfully evicted some 160 families who were occupying the Santa Rita and Santa Rita Xalahá Canguini farms. In the first community [Santa Rita], families lived to avoid the construction of a hydroelectric plant [that lacked their free, prior and informed consent].”

Truthout adds: “The Guatemalan-based company Hydro Electrical Santa Rita S.A., owned by the elite López-Roesch family, first proposed the Santa Rita hydro project in 2009. The powerful and influential cement company Cementos Progreso, owned by the Guatemalan Novella family, is reported to also have interests in the project.”

The three community members killed were Sebastian Rax Caal, 29; Luciano Can Cujub, 40; and Oscar Chen Quej, 22.

We continue to follow this.

On May 6, PBI-Guatemala posted:

“Last Wednesday, PBI accompanied the Human Rights Law Firm to the hearing of the presentation of evidence of the #casodoserres, during which two experts proposed for the accusation presented their expertise. One expert was a forensic analysis and the other treated the state of the land. Both experts were interrogated alone, while their expertise were not accepted for typos.”

The Massacre

The BBC has reported: “More than 200 people were killed in the village of Dos Erres in 1982, one of the most violent episodes in Guatemala’s brutal 36-year conflict.”

That article explains: “The Kaibiles [were] a US-trained counter-insurgency force fighting left-wing guerrillas. …The special unit of the Guatemalan army stormed the village in the north of the country on 6 December 1982.”

“The Kaibiles suspected the villagers of sympathizing with left-wing guerrillas who had two months earlier carried out an ambush on a nearby army patrol, leaving 21 soldiers dead. Even though the soldiers’ search of the village did not uncover any of the weapons the guerrillas had seized during the ambush, the Kaibiles proceeded to kill the village’s inhabitants.”

That article further notes: “Over several days, the soldiers systematically shot or bludgeoned to death hundreds of men, women and children. They disposed of most of the bodies by throwing them down a well.”

And the Associated Press has reported: “The slaughter [at Dos Erres] went unpunished for years — even after Guatemalan authorities issued 17 arrest warrants. In 2009, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights demanded the country prosecute the perpetrators.”

PBI-Guatemala began to accompany Human Rights Law Firm (BDH) lawyer Édgar Pérez Archila in August 2010 due to several security incidents. In 2013, PBI-Guatemala extended the accompaniment to the other lawyers of the BDH who work on high-profile trials.

We continue to follow this case.

On May 6, PBI-Guatemala posted:

“Yesterday, PBI accompanied José Gualna Ché, member of the CCDA of the Verapaces, to the hearing of the first statement in the Tower of Courts of Cobán.

Accused by the MP [Public Ministry] and the Dieseldorff Grimler family, he is charged with aggravated usurpation charges for forming part of the Cristalino River community, a community they claim is within their private property.

While the facts are being investigated, the lawyer requested that he could be released from prison, but was denied alternative measures and is currently in the Coban Preventive Detention Center.

With this case, now 7 CCDA members jailed, shows an alarming climate of criminalisation on the rise.”

The Peace Brigades International-Guatemala Project began accompanying the Campesino Committee of the Highlands (CCDA) – The Verapaces in July 2018.

Today, PBI-Canada observed the Peaceful Resistance of Cahabón march to the Spanish Embassy in Guatemala City. During the march, PBI-Guatemala accompanied Maya Q’eqchi’ defender Bernardo Caal Xol tweeted:

“The struggle continues, hundreds of us are mobilizing today to ask for the freedom of our rivers, no more violations of the rights of the Q’eqchi’ people.”

“We are going to the presidential house and the Spanish embassy to ask where are the 90 million Euros that according to them are being invested in the communities, the companies bring development, but for whom?”

“Let’s demonstrate today May 10, violence towards mother nature and towards the lives of women and girls accompanying this peaceful demonstration.”

“We denounce the violations of the rights of the Q’eqchi’ people, we demand the liberation of the Rios, the cessation of mining and the closure of hydroelectric dams in our territories.”

“We are in front of the supreme electoral court, the one that won’t let Maya sister register @ThelmaCabreraP2 is racism and electoral fraud. THE PEOPLE REALIZE THEIR ACTIONS.”

“For the record we came in front of the @TSEGuatemala [the Supreme Electoral Tribunal] to denounce the kidnapping of the Cahabon River and our solidarity with comrade Thelma who legitimately represents the rights of indigenous peoples.”

“50 years the Cahabón and Ox eek’ Rivers will be tortured by the licenses granted by the Ministry of Energy and Mines, the Q’eqchi’ people tell you that there was no community consultation.”

“Since the experience of our ancestors, women have been present in the care of water, that is why we come to demand the liberation of mother earth and our sacred rivers.”

“Our destination is the Spanish embassy in Guatemala, we want to know what sanctions will be given to Florentino Perez president of the @realmadridfem [soccer team] for violating the rights of the Q’eqchi’ people with his company Cobra S.A. We ask that he be removed from our territory.”

“We are already close to the Spanish Embassy in Guatemala, where we are going to deliver a memorial to request the immediate expulsion of the mining and hydroelectric companies in our territory, there was no community consultation.”

“We arrived at the Spanish Embassy in Guatemala”

“We are going to wait here in front of the Spanish Embassy to see if someone comes out to attend to our complaints and demands.”

We will continue to follow this and post updates as they become available.

“Today the Q’eqchi’ people carry out the #MarchaPorLaDefensaDelAgua led by women, towards the Embassy of Spain to demand transparency from the Spanish companies that have built dams on the Cahabón river.”

The Peace Brigades International-Guatemala Project has accompanied the Peaceful Resistance Cahabón since July 2017.

On May 10, the Peaceful Resistance of Cahabón was present in Guatemala City outside the National Palace to express their opposition to the construction of dams, including the yet-to-be built Oxec III dam, on their rivers and territory.

Last month, Power Technology noted: “Oxec III is a 75MW hydro power project. It is planned on Cahabon river/basin in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala. According to GlobalData, who tracks and profiles over 170,000 power plants worldwide, the project is currently at the permitting stage. It will be developed in a single phase. The project construction is likely to commence in 2025 and is expected to enter into commercial operation in 2027.”

In August 2017, Breakbulk Magazine also reported that the Oxec II dam was “designed by Hatch Ltd., the Toronto, Canada-based engineering firm.” That article also quotes Hooman Ghassemi, Hatch’s project manager for Oxec II. It then notes: “Ghassemi has been working on Oxec II since 2015 and has just finished the conceptual design for Oxec III.”

It’s not clear if Hatch, beyond the conceptual design of the Oxec III dam, will also be involved in the “design-build-engineering” of the dam, which includes all aspects of design services, construction services, and project management.

“We demand that the Oxec 3 licence be cancelled.”

More on Hatch and OXEC II

In April 2020, Ghassemi wrote in NS Energy: “What began as a discussion with stakeholders in 2014 would later become Hatch’s formal engagement by Energy Resources Capital (ERC), the developer, and Solel Boneh Guatemala (SBG), the general contractor.”

“Hatch would be engaged to deliver the conceptual design and detailed design-build-engineering for the Oxec II Hydroelectric Project, recipient of a 2019 Award of Excellence from the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies-Canada (ACEC).”

Ghassemi also notes: “Hatch’s design of the cellular cofferdam [for the first stage diversion of the river] was recognised by the Consulting Engineers of Ontario (CEO) in 2017 with an award of merit in the Industry, Energy, and Resources category.”

Commenting on OXEC II, Ian Ainslie, a Hatch project manager based in Niagara Falls, Ontario, noted: “Hatch has been active in developing hydroelectric sites in Guatemala for over 20 years.” And Hatch’s managing director of power, Jim Sarvinis, says: “Projects like Oxec II are exactly why we do the type of work we do at Hatch.”

Maya Q’eqchi’ opposition to Oxec II

While Hatch Ltd. has highlighted their association with the dam, PBI-Guatemala has noted: “On August 27, [2017] the [Q’eqchi’] communities [of Cahabón] held a community consultation in which 26,537 people professed against the hydroelectric projects while only 11 people showed support. PBI observed the activities in coordination with other human rights organizations which according to community members contributed that no violence erupted despite high levels of tension.”

Seven dams

The Oxec II dam is one of seven dams. PBI-Guatemala has explained: “On the Cahabón River and its tributaries Oxec, Canlich and Chiacté, seven hydroelectric plants currently operate: Renace I, II, III, IV, Oxec, Oxec II, and Chichaic.” 

Oxec S.A. ownership

Who owns and finances the dams?

PBI-Guatemala has noted that “the hydroelectric project installed on the Cahabón river basin, operated by OXEC SA, [belongs] to the Energy Resources Capital Corp group (ERCC).”

In November 2016, Jeff Abbott, a freelance journalist based in Guatemala, also reported in Waging Nonviolence: “The Guatemala-based company Oxec S.A. owns the hydroelectric dams Oxec and Oxec II, with investments from Energy Resources Capital Corp, which is based in Panama. Oxec S.A. is owned by the powerful Bosch Gutiérrez family and is being built by the Spanish company Grupo Cobra, which is owned by Florentino Pérez, the president of Spanish soccer giant Real Madrid.”

Research would be needed to know more about Canadian and transnational capital that may be invested in Energy Resources Capital Corp.

The Peaceful Resistance of Cahabón

The Peace Brigades International-Guatemala Project has accompanied the Peaceful Resistance of Cahabón since July 2017.

Visit with the “15 de febrero” community accompanied by the the Council of Communities of Retalhuleu (CCR), May 4, 2023.

*Click on the bolded/capitalized dates below to go to the Twitter post and see larger versions of the photos.

SUNDAY APRIL 30

MONDAY MAY 1

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WEDNESDAY MAY 3

THURSDAY MAY 4

FRIDAY MAY 5

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TUESDAY MAY 9

WEDNESDAY MAY 10

In the coming weeks and months, look for our follow-up from this visit which will include articles, research, webinars, solidarity letters, and more.

To read our first article, please see PBI-Canada observes march in Guatemala City against Oxec III dam designed by Toronto-based engineering company (May 10, 2023).

PBI-Canada delegation meets with Olivia of the Chicoyogüito Neighborhood Association of Alta Verapaz (AVECHAV); May 5, 2023 in Cobán, Alta Verapaz.

Our delegation meets with Chinautla Multisector; May 1, 2023.

On April 28, PBI-Guatemala posted:

“#PBI accompanies members of the CCCDA [Campesino Committee of the Highlands]-Verapaz to the debate hearing of the Manantial case. This one was suspended due to lack of interpreters and rescheduled for May 16 at Coban Court 2.”

On April 14, PBI-Guatemala had also posted:

“#PBI accompanies members of the CCDA-Verapaces to the hearing of the Manantial case. The case consists of the prosecution of a community that has been settled on land – now in dispute – for more than 20 years. Now, this process has been opened in which they are accused of disturbing possession.

The lawyer considers that this is a case of criminalisation, since the channels for resolving agrarian conflicts have not been exhausted and the case has been taken directly to the criminal courts.”

And PBI-Guatemala has previously explained: “The CCDA of the Verapaces accompanies some 150 Q’eqchi communities, supporting them in the resolution of conflicts related to the possession of the land they inhabit.”

The Guardian has also reported: “A peace agreement in 1996 should have led to land redistribution, but a handful of powerful families still dominates the economy, and Guatemala remains one of the world’s least equal and most violent countries, with the largest 2.5% of farms occupying more than 65% of the land.”

And the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has previously reported that there is a “pattern of human rights violations when evictions are carried out” in the country. The IACHR says: “The Maya Q’eqchi’ and Poqomchi’ peoples from the targeted communities have been fighting for the State to recognise their right to their land and ancestral territories. The State’s response – in alliance with powerful private actors – has been repression and criminalisation. This in turn contributes to the rising violence and conflict in the communities and region, and is in direct contradiction to the human rights treaties.”

PBI-Guatemala began accompanying the Comité Campesino del Altiplano/Campesino Committee of the Highlands/ CCDA – The Verapaces in July 2018. Las Verapaces is the region formed by the departments of Alta Verapaz and Baja Verapaz.

On April 28, PBI-Guatemala posted:

“#PBI accompanies UVOC [Verapaz Union of Campesina Organizations] and we visit them in their offices to update us on the situation: the evictions and criminalization of the indigenous communities of Alta and Baja Verapaz continue to increase.”

PBI-Guatemala has previously explained: “The UVOC has 367 affiliated communities (about 50,000 families); 98% of which are indigenous maya Q’eqchi’, Poqomchi’ and Achi. Among other activities UVOC provides legal advice to numerous rural communities to legalize land, accompanies them in processes to defend their right to land, and participates in dialogue processes in the hope of finding solutions to agrarian conflicts.”

PBI-Guatemala has accompanied UVOC since 2005.