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PBI-Mexico speaks at presentation of report on “Defending Human Rights in Mexico: Protesting is a Right – June 2025 to May 2026”

By
Brent Patterson
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Video still: PBI-Mexico team coordinator Dinah Dreher speaks at the release of the report in Mexico City.

On August 25, 2026, the 43-page 15th Report: Defending Human Rights in Mexico: Protesting is a Right – June 2025 to May 2026 was released.

As noted in its executive summary: “This report was prepared collectively by the organizations Urgent Action for Human Rights Defenders AC (ACUDDEH), the Cerezo Committee Mexico, and the National Campaign Against Forced Disappearance.”

274 arbitrary detentions, 11 extrajudicial executions and 3 enforced disappearances

The figures in the report correspond to human rights violations committed by the Mexican State as a means of punishing the work of human rights defenders in the period from June 1, 2025, to May 31, 2026.

The report documents 76 events and 247 acts of human rights violations committed against human rights defenders. These 247 acts affected 301 individuals, eight organizations, and eight communities.

The report further notes 274 arbitrary detentions, 11 cases of extrajudicial execution and 3 cases of enforced disappearances.

28 recommendations

The report concludes with 15 recommendations on cases on enforced disappearances, including: “Abandon the practice of enforced disappearance and comply with its obligations regarding investigation, prosecution, and punishment in all cases of enforced disappearance that have occurred to date, which would mean the presentation alive of the victims of enforced disappearance or, at least, information about their actual whereabouts” and “Order the Armed Forces and the Navy to present alive the victims of enforced disappearance who are in their custody and to punish the perpetrators and masterminds of this serious human rights violation”.

Then 2 recommendations on cases of extrajudicial execution, including: “Enact a General Law that investigates and punishes extrajudicial executions, classifying extrajudicial execution as a serious crime and a grave violation of human rights.”

Then 4 recommendations on other human rights violations committed against human rights defenders, including: “Amend and reform Articles 1, 73, and 102 of the Mexican Constitution and approve a General Law for Human Rights Defenders that allows federal authorities to prosecute common crimes when they are related to federal crimes or crimes committed against human rights defenders.”

And finally, 7 recommendations on cases of arbitrary detention and political prisoners, including: “Take concrete measures to comply with the Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons Subjected to Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment issued by the UN.”

Read the full report: Defender los DH en México: Protestar en un Derecho – Junio de 2025 a mayo de 2026.

To watch the video of the presentation of the report, click here.

 

PBI-Guatemala accompanies the Human Rights Law Firm at court hearing for USAC students and lawyer

By
Brent Patterson
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The Peace Brigades International-Guatemala Project has posted on social media:

“Last Tuesday [August 18], #PBI accompanied @bufetedh_oficial [Human Rights Law Firm] to an interim hearing in the #USAC [University of San Carlos of Guatemala] case against human rights lawyer #RamónCadena and the students Pedro Ros and Christopher Morales. The hearing was adjourned because the judge had another commitment to attend to and has been rescheduled for 8 March 2027.”

Prensa Comunitaria further explains: “On August 19, a hearing was scheduled against a group of criminalized persons: Pedro Ros and Christopher Morales, both students of the Faculty of Agronomy of the University of San Carlos, and the human rights lawyer, Ramón Cadena Rámila, who have been linked to the process since October 2025 for the crimes of aggravated usurpation and depredation of cultural property.”

Photo: PBI-Guatemala accompanies human rights lawyer Ramón Cadena Rámila to court.

Background

The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) has also provided this context:

“Between May 19, 2022 and June 9, 2023, students, teachers, workers, and human rights defenders participated in mobilizations and a peaceful occupation to defend the university autonomy of the University of San Carlos de Guatemala (USAC) in the face of attempts to co-opt university authorities and irregularities in the process of electing its rector.

On November 14, 2023, within the framework of these peaceful protest actions, the Public Prosecutor’s Office issued 31 search warrants and 27 arrest warrants against students, academic staff, human rights defenders and lawyers, for the crimes of “continuous aggravated usurpation”, “continuous depredation of cultural property”, “continuous sedition” and “illicit association”.

These actions undertaken by the Public Prosecutor’s Office against the academic community of the USAC are part of a disproportionate punitive response to a peaceful protest action, such as the occupation of the University of San Carlos de Guatemala.

Mr. Cadena’s inclusion in this process stems exclusively from his role as legal advisor to students and from his solidarity with the academic and student community under repression, which constitutes a legitimate exercise of his profession as a lawyer and his right to defend human rights.”

Additional context

The next presidential election in Guatemala is scheduled to take place in June 2027, less than a year from now.

Earlier this year, the Atlantic Council noted:

“The head of Guatemala’s only public university wields significant influence. The rector shapes USAC’s representation in multiple nominating commissions, but the role’s reach extends far beyond academia. The university holds seats in more than fifty-three state bodies—including important financial institutions.

Under the current rector, Walter Mazariegos, who is under US sanctions, the university has appointed aligned actors to influential bodies while sidelining independent academics and students who have mobilized against corruption and fraud at the institution. On January 19, Mazariegos was sworn in as head of the nominating commission for the TSE [the Supreme Electoral Tribunal].

An independent rector is essential for ensuring that Guatemala’s judiciary is staffed by competent professionals rather than political operatives unwilling to confront organized crime.”

And Luis Javier Medina, a political scientist from the University of San Carlos of Guatemala, has commented: “Amid all this, there is a clear intention on the part of political actors to prevent the reformist faction—whether through the Movimiento Semilla party or another organization—from competing in the upcoming elections. This heightens the importance of the aforementioned processes, as those selected for second-degree offices will have the final say in many decisions concerning the 2027 elections.”

We continue to follow this.

PBI-Canada mourns the passing of Father Javier Giraldo Moreno who dedicated his life to the defence of human rights in Colombia

By
Brent Patterson
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Photo of Father Giraldo with PBI-Colombia team.

Infobae reports: “Jesuit priest Javier Giraldo, known for his work in defense of vulnerable communities and for his work with the Peace Community of San José de Apartadó, in addition to his leadership in the search for the remains of Father Camilo Torres, died on Tuesday, August 25, 2026.”

For Peace Brigades International, it is significant that Father Javier Giraldo petitioned to accompany and provide an international presence in the shelter of Justice and Peace for displaced persons in Barrancabermeja.

Father Giraldo talks about that invitation in this video.

El Espectador adds: “For more than five decades, Father Javier Giraldo dedicated his life to listening to those who were rarely listened to and to accompanying communities for whom justice always seemed distant. His name is linked to some of the most difficult struggles against violence, enforced disappearance, paramilitarism and impunity in Colombia.”

El Pais also notes: “Father Giraldo published together with Iván Cepeda in 2012 the book Víctor Carranza, alias El patrón, in which they investigated the life of who was known as the Czar of emeralds, a survivor of the so-called green wars for control of the emerald business in Boyacá, accused of forming paramilitary groups, extortion, homicides and kidnappings. and who, however, died in 2013, with his immense fortune safe and without any judicial process underway.”

They further report: “The priest also wrote the text ‘Paramilitarism in Colombia,’ in which he documents the origins and development of this criminal phenomenon in the country. Another of Father Giraldo’s most remembered works was his support and accompaniment of the peace community of San José de Apartadó, a civil initiative born in 1997 that sought to make a peaceful and neutral resistance to all manifestations of violence in that region, both on the part of the guerrillas, the paramilitaries and the Army. Giraldo denounced the persecution and murder of dozens of members of that peace community.”

PBI-Canada joins with the many, including the José Alvear Restrepo Lawyers’ Collective. In mourning the passing of Father Javier Giraldo.

“It is with deep sadness that we say goodbye to Father Javier Giraldo, a man who dedicated his life to the defense of human rights and to accompanying victims and communities in the territories. His legacy will remain in those of us who continue to believe in peace with social justice. Goodbye!”

Video: 1994: Father Javier Giraldo recounts the arrival of PBI in Colombia.

Canada Investment Summit on September 14-15 could lead to financing for megaprojects opposed by Indigenous land defenders

By
Brent Patterson
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Instagram post: Gitanyow Hereditary Chief Watahayetsxw, Lax’yip Firekeeper Drew Harris, and Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chief Na’Moks stated their opposition to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s “nation-building projects” announcement, in Terrace, British Columbia, in November 2025. Image by Dogwood.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will be convening “the first-ever Canada Investment Summit” that is reportedly to begin with a gala dinner on the evening of Monday September 14 and then continue on Tuesday September 15, 2026, at a luxury hotel in downtown Toronto. The stated intention of the summit is to help “catalyse $1 trillion in total investment in Canada over the next five years”, including “new investment into Canada to advance Canada’s nation-building projects”.

This $1 trillion is to be “enabled” by the government with $280 billion in “capital investments and incentives in support of third parties”.

Bloomberg News reports: “The summit’s attendees will represent the largest collection of assets under management ever assembled in one place in Canada, according to one official, speaking on condition they not be named because the list and the agenda are still private. The government’s intention is to make it a recurring event.”

New York City-based Blackstone President Jonathan Gray and BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, along with London-UK-based Barclays CEO C.S. Venkatakrishnan have confirmed their attendance at this summit.

Notably, Blackstone Inc. is the biggest investor behind Western LNG, the Texas-based company seeking to build the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission (PRGT) fracked gas pipeline on Gitanyow and Gitxsan territories in northern British Columbia.

It has also been reported that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Australia’s IFM Investors Pty Ltd. (IFM) will be there as could be investment fund representatives from the United Arab Emirates.

And it is possible if not likely that Export Development Canada (EDC) will have representation at this investment summit.

Major projects on the agenda

This summer, Global News commented: “A central theme of Carney’s leadership over the last year and a half has been about making Canada more attractive to businesses and investment — creating a Major Projects Office (MPO) to stickhandle files of national significance, reducing regulatory burdens, aggressively seeking out new trade partnerships and jettisoning environmental protections.”

Bloomberg News confirms that the Major Projects Office (MPO) is involved in the organizing of the investment summit.

Bianca Mugyenyi notes in Canadian Dimension: “The summit’s focus will be major infrastructure projects and creating a setting in which investors can assess opportunities, with the Prime Minister’s Office encouraging invited firms to announce investments or commitments. The CEOs in attendance will also discuss arms contracts, critical minerals, and AI data centres. Manitoba, meanwhile, will be promoting the expansion of the Port of Churchill, which is largely designed to boost extractivist exports”

Ksi Lisims, PRGT, LNG Canada

The Prime Minister has been clear that this upcoming investment summit in Toronto next month is “focused on attracting new investment into Canada to advance Canada’s nation-building projects…”.

In November 2025, the prime minister’s announcement on “nation-building projects referred to the Major Projects Office” included the Ksi Lisims LNG terminal along with the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission Project.

The “nation-building projects” to be fast-tracked that were announced in September 2025 included LNG Canada Phase 2.

The Globe and Mail has reported that “Ksi Lisims is expected to make a final investment decision in 2026” while “industry analysts expect LNG Canada to make a final investment decision by the end of 2026 on whether to proceed with Phase 2.”

The investment summit on September 14-15, 2026, could fit within this timeline of a year-end final investment decision.

Just two weeks ago, CBC News reported: “A positive final investment decision would see construction start on the [Ksi Lisims] facility and [Prince Rupert Gas Transmission] pipeline in early 2027.”

Indigenous land and environmental defenders

On April 14, 2026, PBI-Canada observed in Ottawa the call from Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chief Na’Moks, Gitxsan hereditary leader Gwii Lok’im Gibuu (Jesse Stoeppler), Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) Women’s Representative Katisha Paul for Export Development Canada (EDC) to reject funding and support for the proposed Ksi Lisims LNG terminal and LNG Canada Phase 2 expansion.

On November 13, 2025, we noted that Gitanyow Hereditary Chief Watahayetsxw (Deborah Good) vowed to establish another blockade on her territory in northern British Columbia in response to the prime minister’s endorsement of Ksi Lisims.

PBI-Canada continues to be concerned about the safety of Indigenous land defenders opposed to megaprojects on their territories. We are particularly concerned about the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Critical Response Unit-British Columbia (CRU-BC). The CRU-BC is the rebranded Community-Industry Response Group (C-IRG), the subject of a systemic investigation by the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission (CRCC) expected to be released by October 15, 2026.

We continue to follow this.

Additional reading

The Many vs the Money: Counter-Summit & Day of Action (Toronto, September 12-13, 2026)

Canada’s $1 Trillion Investment Agenda Runs Through Indigenous Land (London, United Kingdom, April 27, 2027).

Planned protest, September 14, 2026, in Toronto.

CPSHR denounces arrest of three environmental defenders at barricade against NLMRC gold and copper mining in Kasibu, Philippines

By
Brent Patterson
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Photo and video: The police and military at the barricade in Kasibu against NLMRC mining.

Inquirer.net reports: “Environmental and human rights groups condemned the arrest of three Indigenous Peoples leaders of Kasibu Intertribal Response for Ecological Development (Kired) during negotiations between police and residents at the barricade of a mining community in Nueva Vizcaya.”

That article explains: “The three leaders were among those securing the barricade set up by residents against further exploration by mining firm North Luzon Mineral Resources Corporation (NLMRC) in Barangay Paquet in Kasibu town.”

It also notes: “The Center for Environmental Concerns, Human Rights Watch and Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment (PNE) issued separate statements demanding the immediate dropping of charges against them. …The Kalikasan PNE said attacks and harassment on local residents have been attacked and harassed since they put up the barricade in May to push back against large-scale mining.”

Katribu, the National Alliance of Indigenous Peoples’ Organizations in the Philippines, also issued a statement that says: “We strongly condemn the arrest of KIRED members Leijin Dugay, Donny Dugay, and June Fiataccag at the Pacquet barricade in Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya, on August 19, 2026.”

Katribu further states: “The government’s police forces must serve and protect the people—not corporations, mining interests, or profit. The arrest of community and environmental defenders cannot be the government’s response to legitimate concerns over destructive mining and the protection of Indigenous lands and livelihoods.”

And LiCAS.news reports: “Philippine Protestant bishops condemned the ‘continuing harassment and intimidation’ of environmental defenders after three residents opposing mining operations were arrested in Nueva Vizcaya. …The United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) Council of Bishops … linked the arrests to broader concerns over harassment, intimidation, and legal actions reportedly directed against environmental defenders in Nueva Vizcaya and Isabela, including nearly 20 reported strategic lawsuits against public participation.”

The OceanaGold Didipio Mine in Nueva Vizcaya

The Canada-Philippines Solidarity for Human Rights (CPSHR) has noted the criminalization of the three Indigenous land defenders in Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya, but further highlighted the plans to further expand the Vancouver-based OceanaGold Didipio Mine in Nueva Vizcaya (about 24 kilometres east of Kasibu).

CPSHR says: “On Friday, July 3, OceanaGold and President Ferdinand R. Marcos met at the Pacific Rim Hotel in Vancouver, BC. At this meeting, OceanaGold announced that they planned to invest $1.9 billion USD in the expansion and operation of the Didipio Mine in Nueva Vizcaya.”

They further noted: “In this same visit, Marcos had a meeting with B2Gold executives (alongside Filminera Resources Corp) to talk about a $14 million USD expansion of the Masbate Gold Project.”

And CPSHR highlighted: “Canada remains complicit, both in providing military aid to the oppressive government that routinely and violently suppresses activists, and by having very large assets in mining companies in the country, such as OceanaGold and B2Gold.”

Military linked to killings of land and environmental defenders

Global Witness and Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment (Kalikasan PNE) have reported: “Since 2012, the Philippines has been ranked as the deadliest country in Asia for people protecting land and the environment, with mining linked to a third of all killings documented by Global Witness. …The military has been linked to the highest number of documented killings and detentions of land and environmental defenders in the Philippines over the past decade. These abuses have gone unchecked.”

Arms exports and human rights

PBI-Canada continues to make the link between the export of “military goods” and violations against human rights defenders, their organizations and communities. In the context of the attacks documented by Global Witness and Kalikasan PNE, we further note that a delegation from the Philippines attended the CANSEC arms show this past May 27-28, 2026, at the Cohere Centre in Ottawa.

Given the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) that Canada and the Philippines signed in Manila in November 2025, as well as the Mutual Logistics Support Arrangement (MLSA) and a Statement of Intent (SOI) for Deepening Defense Cooperation signed in Ottawa in June 2026, it can be expected that the Philippines military will again be at CANSEC this coming June 2-3, 2027.

We continue to follow this.

PBI recently launched a Southeast Asia Project to accompany human rights defenders in the Philippines, Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Thailand.

PBI-Honduras expresses concern over the threats received by CNTC-supported Brisas de Humaya farming community

By
Brent Patterson
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The Peace Brigades International-Honduras Project has posted on social media:

“CNTC [National Union of Rural Workers] Progreso stands up for the rights of the Brisas de Humaya farming community, who are fighting to defend their land against aggressors.

Brisas de Humaya has now been cultivating its land for five years, after it had lain fallow for decades. It is now productive and fulfilling its social purpose thanks to the farmers’ hard work, supported by CNTC.

PBI expresses its concern over the threats received by Brisas de Humaya and reiterates the importance of ensuring that land titling processes follow due process.”

The National Union of Rural Workers (CNTC), created in 1985, is a small-scale farming and trade union organization, which fights for the distribution of land.

The CNTC is affiliated with the Unified Confederation of Honduran Workers (CUTH) which in turn is affiliated with the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), along with 150+ labour organizations including the Canadian Labour Congress.

Peace Brigades International has been accompanying CNTC since May 2018.

Will the Ontario Defence Industrial Strategy (ODIS) include rights protocols, provisions for the protection of human rights defenders?

By
Brent Patterson
-

Photo: The Invest Ontario pavilion at the Farnborough International Airshow in the United Kingdom featured a promotional poster for Gastops (“Ottawa-based company is key to keeping Israeli warplanes bombing Gaza”, The Breach, September 2024). The Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) says of Farnborough: “Among past attendees are countries with dismal human rights records of systematic war crimes and internal repression. They include Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.”

The Government of Ontario has developed a 14-page framework for a 10-year Ontario Defence Industrial Strategy (ODIS) that the province says could “contribute over $6 billion to the province’s GDP”, support “NATO rearmament”, “expand export reach”, “secure export opportunities” and “diversify its exports to new strategic markets”.

The framework highlights that presently 50 per cent of Ontario’s defence sector revenue is generated by exports (presumably about $2.5 billion given overall the sector generates “more than $5 billion in annual revenue”).

It also notes that “Ontario’s Defence Advantage” includes “Ontario companies supply systems and components for military aircraft programs (e.g., F-35 fighters…)” and produce “critical munitions for Canadian and allied militaries”.

The framework for the ODIS also references advancing “opportunities in critical minerals extraction and processing to supply allied nations with key defence inputs (e.g., class 1 nickel)” and “using Special Economic Zones, permitting reforms and municipal collaboration on potential incentives and local investment hubs to fast-track large scale defence projects of strategic importance”.

It also notes: “Ontario leads trade and export missions, which are increasingly prioritizing defence. This includes a record 11 missions planned for 2026.” These provincial missions have included the Eurosatory arms fair in France (June 2026), the Farnborough International Airshow in the United Kingdom (July 2026), and in the latter half of this year the AEDEX + Airport Expo in India (September 2026), and the Defense Expo Korea (K-DEX Korea) in South Korea (December 2026).

Just prior to the launch of this ODIS framework, the Ontario government appointed “the province’s first-ever Ontario Military Defence Representative (OMDR)” to “promote Ontario’s defence industry in global markets” and highlight Ontario’s “responsible development of resources like nickel, cobalt, and platinum-group elements that are essential to the advanced technologies and hardware”.

ODIS by year-end

The launch of the full Ontario Defence Industrial Strategy is expected by the end of 2026 following “consultations with municipalities, academia and industry stakeholders over the coming weeks and months”.

Questions

Some of the questions that relate to human rights, peace and the safety and security of human rights defenders around the world include:

1-What portion of the $6 billion contribution to the province’s GDP envisioned by the Ontario Defence Industrial Strategy (ODIS) is to be generated through exports?

2-Will the full ODIS include language in compliance with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights that articulates both “the State duty to protect human rights” and ”the corporate responsibility to respect human rights”?

3-Will the ODIS have human rights due diligence provisions that recognize State and corporate responsibilities before, during and after arms transfers that exist over and above national laws and regulations? Would this include obligations and considerations under the UN Declaration on human rights defenders?

4-How would the ODIS, or perhaps specifically the Ontario Military Defence Representative (OMDR), respond to calls from UN experts, including Mary Lawlor, the then-Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, for companies including BAE Systems (with an office in Ottawa), Boeing (Ottawa, Petawawa, Trenton), Caterpillar (Mississauga), General Dynamics (London, Ottawa), Lockheed Martin (Ottawa), Northrop Grumman (Hamilton), Oshkosh (Ottawa, London), Rheinmetall AG (Ottawa), Rolls-Royce Power Systems (Peterborough, Mississauga, Ottawa), RTX (Midland, Ottawa), and ThyssenKrupp (Ottawa), to stop transferring arms, munitions and other military equipment to the Israeli military given those transfers “may constitute serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian laws and risk State complicity in international crimes, possibly including genocide”?

5-How would the ODIS commitment to “expand export reach” formally relate to the federal jurisdiction on the export of military goods? In response to the criticism of the contract Brampton, Ontario-based Roshel had with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement to produce armoured vehicles, the Ontario Premier stated in January 2026: “I don’t direct companies to go sell military vehicles down south or around the world… We don’t have anything to do with what crosses the border.”

6-Given the ODIS highlights that “Ontario companies supply systems and components for military aircraft programs (e.g., F-35 fighters…)”, does it have a position on the legal challenges in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, backed by 230 organizations, to stop the transfer of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel given “Israel’s use of the F-35 fighter jets in Gaza constitutes a likely violation of international humanitarian law and risks contributing to genocide”?

We continue to follow this.

Additional reading: Responsible business conduct in the arms sector:  Ensuring business practice in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (Information Note by the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights, August 2022).

PBI-Mexico and Red TDT help secure commitment from federal authorities to address forced displacement in Chihuahua

By
Brent Patterson
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Photo from Red TDT.

The National Network of Civil Society Human Rights Organisations “All Rights for All” (Red TDT) has posted on social media:

“Press release | Federal authorities commit to addressing forced displacement in Chihuahua:

To address forced displacement in Chihuahua, civil society organizations met in Mexico City in August with government and international bodies: @segob_mx [Ministry of the Interior] @gobmexico [Government of Mexico], @onumex [United Nations in Mexico] @acnurmx [UN Mexico – UN Refugee Agency]”

El Heraldo further reports: “The Undersecretary of Human Rights of the Ministry of the Interior will visit [the Mexican state of] Chihuahua to meet with communities affected by internal forced displacement and directly address their needs, as part of the commitments assumed by federal authorities after a series of meetings with civil organizations and representatives of displaced families.”

“Attention to internal forced displacement in Chihuahua reached the federal agenda, after civil organizations and representatives of affected communities held meetings with authorities from the Ministry of the Interior, the Presidency of the Republic, the Office in Mexico of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).”

The article highlights: “The visit was one of the main agreements reached during the meetings held in Mexico City in early August, where the seriousness of the situation faced by communities in the Sierra Tarahumara, forced to abandon their territories due to violence, was presented to federal and international organizations.”

It further notes: “As a result of these meetings, representatives of the Government of Mexico expressed their commitment to work, in coordination with the OHCHR, UNHCR and civil society organizations, to address the needs of displaced communities and advance in a comprehensive response to the phenomenon of internal forced displacement.”

El Diario also highlights:

“Civil organizations requested that action be taken to address the needs of displaced communities and people.

All of these are members of the Civil Observation Mission are the National Network of Civil Human Rights Organizations “All Rights for All” (TDT Network), Peace Services and Advice (Serapaz), Peace Brigades International Mexico (PBI Mexico) and Mountain Human Rights Center (Tlachinollan), Sierra Madre Alliance (ASMAC). Center for Women’s Human Rights (Cedehm), Commission for Solidarity and Defense of Human Rights (Cosyddhac), Community Technical Consultancy (CONTEC) and the Nuevo Amanecer Collective.

Also present were people from displaced communities, who gave their testimony and spoke about the needs and difficulties experienced by families who suffer the dispossession of their heritage, communities, ways of life, tranquility and, in many cases, the loss of a loved one. As a result of these meetings, the authorities of the Government of the Republic committed themselves to act accordingly and in collaboration with the OHCHR, UNHCR and civil society organizations to address the needs of displaced communities.”

The full article from El Heraldo can be read at: Se compromete Federación a atender desplazamiento forzado en Chihuahua (August 20, 2026). The El Diario article is at: Atenderá federación desplazamiento forzado en Chihuahua (August 20, 2026).

We continue to follow this.

Additional reading: PBI-Mexico highlights the report of the Civil Observation Mission on internal forced displacement in Chihuahua (PBI-Canada, August 12, 2026).

Photo by Serapaz Mexico.

PBI-Guatemala accompanies family at court hearings on the enforced disappearance of Luz Leticia, next date August 24

By
Brent Patterson
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The Peace Brigades International-Guatemala Project has posted on social media:

“#PBI accompanies the #LuzLeticiacaseandothers

Yesterday [August 18, 2026], the court announced that the Judiciary had, for the second time, failed to process the statement from the latest witness abroad in time, and therefore decided to withdraw the statement.

Today [August 19, 2026] there was an opportunity to introduce new evidence; only the defence wished to do so, but it was rejected as inadmissible.

The hearing will continue on Monday [August] 24th at 9.00 am with the closing arguments from the parties.

#Justice for the #enforced disappearance of #LuzLeticia”

Who was Luz Leticia?

Verdad Justicia has posted: “Luz Leticia was born on November 22, 1957, the same day she was detained-disappeared, when she was 25 years old. Her family remembers her as a woman, she was a very intelligent, affectionate woman, such a beautiful smile and a hard worker.”

Mirtala has shared in an interview with El Salto that Luz Leticia was a member of Nuestro Movimiento (Our Movement). She explains: “The organization originated as a militant guerrilla group whose goal was to defend the people against poverty, abuses of power, and the actions of the security forces.”

The state agent accused in her disappearance

On the accused Juan Francisco Cifuentes Cano, Prensa Libre also reports: “Cifuentes Cano was the director of a police division and worked closely with the Army in counterinsurgency operations during the de facto government of the dictator Efraín Ríos Montt (1982-1983), as explained by the Prosecutor’s Office before the Fifth Criminal Court of First Instance. The ex-commander is accused of the forced disappearance of the university students Luz Hernández and Ana López, who 40 years later have still not been located.”

Judge expected to issue sentence soon

On August 13, Prensa Comunitaria reported: “The oral and public trial for the disappearance of university student Luz Leticia Hernández Agustín, 44 years ago, which is taking place in the Eighth Criminal Court against Juan Francisco Cifuentes Cano, reaches its final phase. On Tuesday, August 18, the last witness will be heard by videoconference, then the legal representation of Luz Leticia’s family, the prosecution and the defense of the accused will issue their conclusions before the judges issue a sentence.”

PBI accompaniment

This week, PBI-Guatemala posted ten slides – that can be read here – including this one that says:

“The Luz Leticia case has finally reached the courts thanks to the tremendous efforts of her family: ‘Our sister’s despair cut deep into our family, and in order to heal we need to recover Luz Leticia’s remains and ensure that her killers are brought to justice once and for all.’

PBI continues to support Valentina, Marta and Mirtala, Luz Leticia’s mother and sisters.”

Luz’s sister in Canada

PBI-Guatemala had also previously accompanied another sister during the 1980s before she had to go into exile in Canada.

Mirtala further explains to El Salto: “In 1987, my sister was a political exile in Canada, and my mother went to be with her. My sister took a job with the Canadian government, and with her salary, they decided to launch this legal battle. They hired legal counsel from the human rights law firm led by Edgar Pérez Archila, one of the attorneys handling several cases related to the genocide in Guatemala.”

Two years ago, Publico reported: “In addition to resolving their sister’s case, the family is fighting to create a museum that tells the story of repression in Guatemala. [Mirtala says] ‘We want the museum to be built in a military base in the capital, but the right wing is intransigent with this.’”

We continue to follow this.

PBI-Honduras observes release of ACI Participa report that documents the killing of 15 defenders in 2025

By
Brent Patterson
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The Peace Brigades International-Honduras Project has posted on social media:

“‘Violence has affected entire families involved in organizational efforts to defend land and territory, claiming the lives of young people who are carrying on their communities’ struggle,’ warns the report ‘Honduras: A Debt of Blood and Justice – the report we should no longer have to write’, presented today by @aciparticipa [the Association for Participatory Citizenship].

The organization states that “ACI-P will continue to verify data regardless of which government is in power and whatever obstacles they put in our way, because it is our duty as human rights defenders”.

At PBI, we express our concern about the situation of systemic impunity in the country and support the dissemination of this #InformeACIPARTICIPA2025”

The Association for Participatory Citizenship (ACI Participa) was founded in July 2003 to promote respect for human rights, their protection and the investigation of human rights violations in Honduras.

Their website notes: “ACI Participa has a Unit for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders at risk, through which it carries out criminal investigations, documents cases of human rights violations and provides support for the implementation of organizational, physical and psycho-emotional security protocols. Every year, ACI Participa produces an annual report on the situation of human rights defenders in Honduras.”

The Swiss news agency EFE reports: “The murder of 15 human rights defenders in Honduras during 2025, most of them linked to the defense of land and territory, is evidence of the persistence of armed violence that keeps community leaders in a situation of extreme vulnerability, according to a report presented Wednesday in Tegucigalpa. The document, entitled ‘Honduras: blood debt and justice, the report we should no longer write’, was presented by the Association for Participatory Citizenship (ACI PARTICIPA) and warns that the crimes occurred in areas marked by agrarian conflict, land disputes, the presence of criminal structures and armed groups, territorial control and illegal economies. …The report noted that in 2026, violence, criminalization, and the lack of guarantees for those who defend land, territory, the environment, and other human rights persist and even increase.”

Infobae adds: “[ACI PARTICIPA executive director Hedme] Castro pointed out that it is necessary to implement protection measures capable of preventing attacks and ensuring that the population can carry out their activities without fear.”

In their article about the release of this report, Criterio.hn further notes: “Yoni Rivas, spokesman for the Agrarian Platform of the Aguán, told Criterio.hn that, under the mandate of governments of the National Party, made up of extreme right-wing rulers, it is not surprising with the incidence of territorial disputes between companies, extractivist, agro-industrial, energy and local communities that, unfortunately, end in tragedy, with threats, missing persons and murders. in which aggressors and murderers are sheltered and citizens are unprotected.”

We continue to follow this.

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