Guatemala: Six months of injustice and criminalization against Indigenous representatives from Totonicapán
In light of the prolonged arbitrary detention of Luis Pacheco and Héctor Chaclán, Indigenous representatives of the 48 cantons of Totonicapán, who will today have been deprived of their liberty for six months, Ana Piquer, Americas Director at Amnesty International, said:
“Today marks six months since Luis Pacheco and Héctor Chaclán were unjustly deprived of their liberty. For six months, the justice system has repeatedly violated their rights. Their detention is arbitrary, and they must therefore be released immediately. We will insist as many times as is necessary: organizing a peaceful protest is a right, not a crime. The misuse of terrorism charges to silence dissenting voices does, however, violate human rights and puts the entire Guatemalan society at risk.”
