Global Voices » Guatemala

Efraín Ríos Montt Found Guilty of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity

Renata Avila — Sat, 11 May 2013 00:28:52 +0000

Guatemalan de facto dictator Efraín Ríos Montt was declared guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity. After organizing and fighting in courts for years, Guatemala's Ixil Maya indigenous achieved justice.

The verdict was live-tweeted and streamed [es].

While Ríos Montt was declared guilty and sentenced to 80 years in prison, former Intelligence Director José Mauricio Rodriguez Sanchez was declared innocent.

Rios Montt ruled Guatemala from March 1982 to August 1983 during the country's 36-year civil war. As Xeni Jardin explains in BoingBoing: “The 86-year-old former General and head of state was charged with the crimes over a counterinsurgency campaign in 1982-1983 that resulted in the deaths of 1,771 Maya Ixil.”

Rios Montt Genocide Trial Day 26. Photo by James Rodriguez of MiMundo.org, used with permission.

Guatemala's indigenous were severely impacted by the war; they lost land, houses, animals, crops, and had to live in hiding in the mountains. After the war the country offered little opportunities.

Today, the Ixil communities are among the poorest in the country, with up to 77% living in poverty [es]. In Guatemala, where up to 40% of the population is indigenous, eight out of 10 indigenous peoples are poor. Furthermore, racism impacts their education and employment opportunities.

In spite of their poverty, the survivors were not asking for reparations -they were asking for justice, as Mr. Benjamín Jerónimo, plaintiff of the genocide case, told the tribunal in the closing arguments of a very complex trial which Amnesty International summarized in ten facts:

Genocide was committed, crimes against humanity were committed and today, 100 witnesses came to tell the truth, to ask for justice for all that we suffered, publicly… We are not looking for vengeance, we are looking for a true peace with justice, with respect, with equality, with dignity, that is why we are here.

It takes more than ten hours to travel in public transport from the Ixil region to Guatemala City, where the trial took place. In spite of their modest income and the distance, members of the Ixil community were present in the courtroom every day, as photo records by James Rodriguez of MiMundo.org and the coverage by Xeni Jardin in Boing Boing show. Xeni live tweeted the final verdict from the courtroom.

Picture by James Rodríguez, Mimundo.org used with permission.

A video explaining all the evidence leading to the charges was aired this week by PBS in the United States, generating debate about president Reagan's involvement. The article “The Final Battle: Rios Montt's Counterinsurgency Campaign: U.S. and Guatemalan Documents Describe the Strategy Behind Scorched Earth” by The National Security Archive adds:

Ríos Montt's scorched earth tactics are documented in a collection of Guatemalan army records created in July and August 1982, connected to Operation Sofía — a series of counterinsurgency sweeps through the Ixil region to kill EGP combatants and destroy their “base of support” (the Maya Ixil population). The Operation Sofía documents were given to the National Security Archive in 2009 and the Archive in turn provided them as criminal evidence to the prosecutors in the genocide case.

The trial has been an example of open justice, with translation available for the Ixil peoples during the entire trial, unrestricted access to press and a strong interaction in social media.

Parallel to the debate in court, a conversation -a battle of ideas and facts- took place online.

Netizens used the hashtags #riosmontt, #genocidegt and #sihubogenocidio (“yes, it was genocide”), and there were livestreams here (audio), here (audio) and here.

There are also netizens who deny that there was a genocide, and they are using the hashtag #nohubogenocidio (“there was no genocide”) to share their views.

During the trial citizens all over the world took a pledge and shared a photo showing their support for justice.

International volunteers from NISGUA, Peace Brigades International, Collectif Guatemala and other NGOs worked and supported families of survivors during the trial. They also produced content in English and French to share with the world.

After thirty years, this landmark verdict materializing the spirit of the Genocide Convention and the enforcement of crimes against humanity is an insurance for each and every human being, as it sets a precedent for current conflicts around the world. It is a ray of hope for entire villages labelled as “the enemy” in Syria, for the suffering of the Rohingya in Myanmar, and for all the conflicts to come.

Furthermore, it also marks a new beginning for an inclusive Guatemala, embracing and learning from the values and differences of 24 nations, starting with the lessons of courage, patience and non-violent struggle for justice taught by the Ixil. As Salvadoran digital journal El Faro said, the Ixil peoples already achieved a victory [es].

Photo via @xeni: “Juana Sanchez Toma, Ixil rape victim whom we interviewed for @newshour. ‘I dreamed of justice. And now here it is.'”

Rios Montt Testifies in Genocide Trial

Silvia Viñas — Fri, 10 May 2013 13:29:11 +0000

On the 26th day of the historic Genocide trial against former de facto head of state Efrain Rios Montt and his Head of Intelligence Jose Mauricio Rodriguez Sanchez, the prosecution and defense gave their closing statements and the main accused, Rios Montt, finally declared.

James Rodriguez shares a photo essay of the day in MiMundo.org.
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Guatemala: State of Siege After Anti-Mining Protests

Silvia Viñas — Thu, 02 May 2013 23:25:47 +0000

State of siege in San Rafael Mine in Guatemala. Photo shared by James Rodriguez in the MiMundo.org Facebook page

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#FLISOL 2013: Hundreds of Latin Americans Installing Free Software

Renata Avila — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 15:28:57 +0000

Flisol 2013 Banner.

From the Patagonia to Havana, hundreds of computer users across Latin America are choosing freedom over control by installing free software on their computers. On April 27th, groups of free software enthusiasts will be installing free software in dozens of cities across Latin America as part of FLISOL [es], the Latin American free software installation festival.
(more…)

Nobel Laureates: On with Ríos Montt Trial

Silvia Viñas — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 00:35:01 +0000

“If this case does not move forward, survivors of Guatemala’s genocide are being victimized all over again,” says Nobel Peace laureate Jody Williams, co-founder of the Nobel Women’s Initiative. “They have taken a huge risk in testifying, and many have been harassed, intimidated and threatened. To annul the case would turn the clock back on justice—and would be a victory for impunity.”

Nobel Peace laureates are calling on Guatemalan authorities to proceed with the case against Efraín Ríos Montt. The trial against the former dictator and his former intelligence director was declared invalid last week.

Guatemala's Genocide Trial Declared Invalid

Renata Avila — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 06:34:00 +0000

Five weeks of harrowing testimony from dozens of survivors and witnesses of massacre, forced disappearances and rape stand void, as Guatemala's much awaited and watched “genocide trial” has been declared invalid.

Efraín Ríos Montt, the country's de facto dictator from 1982-83 and his former intelligence director are being prosecuted for the massacre of 1700 Indigenous Maya Ixil people during Guatemala's civil war.

Victims of Guatemala's war have waited thirty years for justice, and it took twelve years to reach the debate stage. Many fear that the defendants might not live until that phase can be reached again. Investigative journalist Allan Nairn writes on his blog:

Many dozens of Mayan massacre survivors risked their lives to testify. But now the court record they bravely created has been erased from above.

On April 18, 2013, a lower court judge Carol Patricia Flores declared all proceedings invalid due to an “apparent breach of due process.”

Judge Patricia Flores told a court in Guatemala City that the order had come from the country's top courts to suspend the trial because she had been wrongly removed from the case, prompting complaints that the ruling made a mockery of justice.

Apparent breach of due process

Rios Montt was formally charged in January 2012 by Judge Flores, but she stood down from hearing the case until 5 weeks ago, because of her involvement in another case which also implicated Rios Montt.

In the last week, Rio Montt's lawyers made Judge Flores the focal point of their efforts, arguing that these procedural errors meant the current trial should be annulled. On Wednesday, April 17, the defendants’ lawyers presented a writ requesting that the procedures be suspended.

A day later, Judge Flores ruled that due process was not respected and reversed the trial to the preparatory phase, meaning that the procedure is again open to appeals and that all the testimonies and expert witnesses presented in the case will have to present their evidence in court again.

But, Julio Prado, a prosecutor, believes that the Constitutional Court's orders were to admit the trial's evidence [es] and simply return the case to its original tribunal so the trial can procede.

‘Threats of violence killed the case’

Two days earlier, prominent former government officials and signatories to the country’s peace agreements which ended the civil war issued a public declaration expressing concern that the trial is threatening the peace process and dividing Guatemala.

President Perez Molina, who has also been implicated in the trial by a witness, also endorsed the statement. Molina is a former army General and the founder of Kaibil School, a soldier training school whose practices come close to torture.

Investigative Journalist Allan Nairn was one of the witnesses proposed by the accusers; he interviewed President Perez Molina in the Ixil area back in 1983. In recent days, Nairn had written a personal account of the case but “was asked to keep it private until a trial verdict had been reached.” He has now published it in his blog as “A firsthand behind-the-scenes account of how Guatemala's current President and threats of violence killed the case”:

It would be mistaken to think that this case redounds to the credit of Guatemala's rulers.

It was forced upon them from below. The last thing they want is justice.

But they agreed to swallow a partial dose because political forces were such that they had to, and because they thought that they could get away with sacrificing Rios Montt to save their own skins.

I was called to testify in the Rios Montt case, was listed by the court as a ‘qualified witness,’ and was tentatively scheduled to testify on Monday, April 15. But at the last minute was I was kept off the stand ‘in order to avoid a confrontation with the [Guatemalan] executive.

Reactions to the court's decision immediately emerged on social networks. The International Center for Transitional Justice (@theICTJ) reported the news using the hashtag #GenocideGT:

@theICTJ: Judge Flores orders that the genocide case and all proceedings up to this point are invalid. #GenocideGT

Using the same hashtag, Latin American History professor Kirsten Weld (@kirstenweld) wrote:

@kirstenweld: I think we all got excited and inspired by the testimonies; forgot how diabolically clever the military is. #GenocideGT

The Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (@NISGUA_Guate) reported the reaction from Marilena Bustamante, sister of Emil Bustamante [es], one of the men who disappeared during the war:

@NISGUA_Guate: As court adjourns, M. Bustamante begins to yell “INJUSTICE!” Others present in audience yell, “why don't you shoot her”

Cultural Survival (@CSORG) quoted documentary filmmaker Pamela Yates:

@CSORG: “I am shocked because they got this far; to have procedural issue stop trial at this state is shocking. And possibly illegal.”—@pameladyates

Journalist Xeni Jardin (@xeni), who has been following the case for Boing Boing, added:

@xeni: “This decision amounts to laughing at the victims, mocking the victims.” Genocide tribunal prosecution, pleading judge reconsider annulment.

Xeni later reported:

@xeni: A candlelight vigil is taking place right now outside the Guatemalan Supreme Court. Ixil people leading.

Although the future of the whole trial is uncertain, Guatemalans are using social networks to speak their mind and to organize demonstrations online and offline using the hashtag #sihubogenocidio (Yes! It was genocide).

Maya Ixil women listening to the trial.
Picture by James Rodriguez Mimundo.org More images can be found here.

The following days will be crucial for the future of justice and accountability in Guatemala and abroad.

A chronology of the debate phase and all the content discussed until now can be found here; and a complete timeline of events, documenting the victims’ long struggle, can be found here.

Al Jazeera: Amplifying (Global Voices) Women's Voices

Jillian C. York — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 15:43:22 +0000

Last month, I received an interesting e-mail from my editor, Nasir Khan, at the Opinion page of Al Jazeera English. In the e-mail, Khan explained that while his goal has been to keep a gender ratio of 50/50 on the page, he has often come up short. Therefore, he wrote, he would be working on a project with the sole intention of increasing the output of women contributors:

For the months of February and March, I plan to have a gender ratio of 80/20 in favour of women, flipping the abhorrent ratio that currently exists within the industry … In the process, [we'll be] challenging other outlets to do the same.

Though the initiative failed to attract much mainstream coverage, it quickly spread through social media, and by mid-March Khan was well on his way to fulfilling his goal. Through tweets, e-mails, and Facebook posts, women heard about the initiative and lined up to contribute.

Global Voices women step up

The women of Global Voices were no exception, and by the end of March they had substantially contributed to the Opinion section. This shouldn't be surprising: just last month, a study published by The Guardian showed that Global Voices has a 51% contribution rate from women, consistent over time. The article praised Global Voices for its diversity, noting:

However you slice it, Global Voices publishes a diverse set of voices at all levels of participation, from the most prolific to the most casual.

Global Voices has always sought to bring the voices of bloggers and netizens into the mainstream — today we'll do the opposite, amplifying the voices of nine GV women (of whom we are very proud) that have made it into the mainstream.

Deborah Esch, a Global Voices author and member of the GV Advocacy Steering Committee (as well as a professor of literature), wrote about her experiences gaining open access to a scholarly archive that had previously been locked to the public, helping her come to terms with the death of activist Aaron Swartz. Esch writes:

Along the way, I found that I was no longer in search of an example – in literature, in historiography – a figure to help come to terms with the death of Aaron Swartz. I had my example: had it as an experience, the unexpected experience of open access to a scholarly archive that had till then been locked away from the public behind the monolithic gates of one institution or another.

Esch also published a second piece on the anniversary of the Exxon Valdez disaster.

Two Global Voices ladies: Jillian and Leila at the Arab Bloggers Summit in Tunisia 2011. Photo shared by Jillian C. York on flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

Rayna Stamboliyska, a GV contributor, wrote about the importance of “hacking science,” explaining:

A very powerful concept – “citizen science” – has naturally emerged along the lines of open science. Countless professional researchers blog about their work and discuss online results obtained by their peers. Such open discussion permits non-professionals to participate as well. The surge of the hacker/maker/do-it-yourself movement has tremendously contributed to engage non-professional scientists in science.

Nowadays, there are hundreds of projects the world over within which professional and non-professional researchers take part in genuine scientific studies. A clearly visible shift has operated in the recent years from citizens helping merely collect data to citizens actually analysing it, producing valuable results and interpreting them as well as generating new hypotheses.

Leila Nachawati Rego, a Spanish-Syrian contributor and member of the GV Advocacy Steering Committee, wrote of reasons to remain optimistic about Syria. Using the town of Kafranbel as a symbol of hope against tyranny, Nachawati Rego writes:

This northwestern town has become well-known for the powerful and edgy banners. They are being created since the beginning of the uprising and are instantly shared through social media.

Internet users from all over the world look forward to every new message and drawing, which summarise the meaning and the evolution of the Syrian struggle.

Although banners and drawings have captured international attention, Kafranbel is more than that. It is also a model for new forms of self-management emerging from the rubble. Its inhabitants not only have survived several regime bombings, but also have engaged in self-government while rebuilding their own town.

Chan Myae Khine, who writes about Myanmar for Global Voices, analyzed the ongoing conflict between Muslims and Buddhists in her country, explaining:

The background of the latest clash between Muslims and Buddhists, however, is not as clear cut as is reported. Although it is reported to be sectarian in nature, the characteristics of the latest flair of violence are utterly atypical, and at worst, planned. An insecure public, the nature of the extremists and the announcement of a state of emergency are indicative of a regression from the still-ongoing transition towards democracy.

Renata Avila, a transparency advocate and longtime contributor to GV and GV Advocacy, discussed the case of American journalist Nicholas Blake, in which the Guatemalan state was declared responsible for the journalist's disappearance. She writes of her experience:

While I worked as a lawyer for the Guatemalan genocide case, preparing the witnesses who presented their testimonies before Spanish National Courts, I struggled with the lack of information about the Army suspects. Counterinsurgency plans and information of the chain of command were obtained either via whistleblowers or Freedom of Information requests filed in the United States, evidencing the importance of both the freedom of information architecture and whistleblowers as key instruments where not even a Bush or a Kennedy can obtain the truth. Up till now, the Military Archives remain sealed, secret. Key files needed for the cases are reported “missing”.

GV contributor Yoo Eun Lee, who writes about Korea, asked “Who was behind the South Korean cyber-attacks?“, writing:

If the attacks were indeed from North Korea, there is no need to read anything into it. Their message and motive cannot be anymore clear. North Korea has been using all kinds of extreme war rhetoric offline for decades, with statements like “turning the South Korean capital into a sea of fire/blood”. This hacking could be just more blackmailing – only done online.

Although blaming North Korea for the attack provides very convenient and believable explanations – compact enough to fit into saucy headlines – it is completely lazy and misleading.

Kirsten Han, who contributes to GV from Singapore, wrote about the Singaporean government's attempt to increase the country's birth rate, calling some attempts “cringe-worthy at best”:

Young men and women are now being bombarded with “pro-family” messaging, cajoling and coaxing them into getting married and settling down rather than “waiting for all the stars to align”. A married life with children is portrayed as the ultimate desirable outcome, and singles are continually told to get out there and start looking for a spouse…

…it's like constantly being under the gaze of an overzealous aunt, eager to set you up on blind dates with anyone who catches her eye. Young Singaporeans are barely given the time and space to really think about what they want, and with a host of “pro-family” policies – priority in the public housing queue for married couples, parental leave being only applicable to couples who are lawfully married, etc – it sometimes seems like a choice between conforming or working doubly hard. Those who don't fit into the social norm are more or less left out.

In her piece, GV contributor Lakshmi Sarah proposes that the BRIC countries take steps to act responsibly when it comes to women's rights and violence against women:

The BRICs have gained attention since 2001, when the term was initially coined. From 2000 to 2008, the BRICs’ share of GDP rose from 16 to 22 percent. The Times (London) has quoted a financial adviser predicting that by 2050, the BRICs nations will “dominate the globe”. Each BRIC country has its own view of power and responsibility. Each BRIC country also has its own record when it comes to human rights and women's issues.

I contributed my own piece as well, looking at the effectiveness of an activism campaign leading up to Microsoft's recent release of a transparency report:

The campaign could serve as a strong model for future efforts. Unlike popular petition platforms like Change.org and AVAAZ, the letter to Skype used a dedicated website and opened signatures up to both individuals and organisation, adding clout. This helps, as Microsoft is unlikely to be affected by the complaints of individual users.

Continuing the effort

Al Jazeera's Khan hopes that the success of this experiment will lead to greater gender balance in the future. This whole experiences goes to prove that the first step to overcoming gender imbalance is deciding to do something about it. Our community believes strongly in supporting diversity in the media, and we're thrilled for the opportunity to help.

Holy Week in Antigua, Guatemala

Silvia Viñas — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 10:09:43 +0000

Alfombras (carpets), processions, and floats –AntiguaDailyPhoto shares a series of photo posts on Holy Week traditions in Antigua, Guatemala.

String of Killings Leaves Five Guatemalan Activists Dead

Renata Avila — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 20:31:16 +0000

While Guatemala attempts to bring former dictator Efraín Ríos Montt to justice in a landmark genocide trial, deadly violence elsewhere in the country continues unpunished. In less than one month, five activists and human right defenders struggling against mining companies and fighting for land and labor rights have been murdered in rural areas.

Tomas Quej, a young indigenous leader from Baja Verapaz, was found dead with a gunshot wound to the heart on February 26, 2013, as Comunicarte [es] reported. Quej had just won a long struggle in court for the lands of his community. He had seven children, including a newborn.

Right after Quej's murder, indigenous union and campesino leader Carlos Hernández Medoza was murdered on his way back from Honduras on March 8. Hernández was a prominent leader who rallied various sectors in his community and region. Frontline Defenders reported:

Carlos Hernández Mendoza was a leader in the Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de Salud de Guatemala – SNTSG (National Health Workers Union of Guatemala), as well as a member of the social revolutionary movement Frente Nacional de Lucha – FNL (National Struggle Front), Coordinadora de Organizaciones Populares, Indígenas, Iglesia, Sindicales, Campesinas de Oriente – COPIISCO (Coordinator of Popular, Indigenous, Religious, Workers and Farmer Organisations of the Oriente) and Asociación Campesina Camoteca (Camotán Campesino Organisation).

Xinca mourning by Rodrigo Baires Quezada for Plaza Publica, under a Creative Commons Attribution license.

On March 13, 68-year-old indigenous Tzutuhil leader Gerónimo Sol Ajcot was brutally murdered by masked men on his way to work.

Four days later, Encarnación López Ucelo, an outspoken leader from the minority Xinca indigenous group, was murdered and three of his colleagues were kidnapped, beaten and then released. The group was demonstrating against mining operations by Canadian company Tahoe Resources and the murdered leader was also involved in land disputes, another possible cause of the criminal act. There are still concerns for the safety of the surviving leaders, as an urgent action appeal by Amnesty International explained:

On 17 March, four Xinca leaders – Encarnación Marcos, Rigoberto Aguilar, Rodolfo López and Roberto González – participated in a public event held in the El Volcancito hamlet, San Rafael Las Flores, where they acted as observers at a community-organized consultation on mining in the area. Following the event, the four men left El Volcancito at 8.30pm. At approximately 9.15pm, as they were approaching Mataquescuintla, approximately 12 men in two trucks stopped their vehicle. The heavily armed men, who were wearing balaclavas, forced them into the trucks. Rigoberto Aguílar and Rodolfo López were released at different times during the night. Rigoberto Aguílar had reportedly been beaten. In the early morning of 18 March, Encarnación Marcos was found dead. His body had been thrown into a ditch and his hands were tied. One of the pickup trucks had been left near the corpse.

An appeal was also launched on Causes calling to stop violence against mining activists in Guatemala.

The most recent victim, as reported by Albedrio [es], was union leader Santa Alvarado, who was fighting for the rights of health sector workers. She was kidnapped and found strangled. Alvadro leaves two little children behind and adds to the outrageous number of women killed in Guatemala.

As the report of the Guatemalan Truth Commission concluded and the genocide trial against former dictator Rios Montt et al confirms, Guatemala has a long and painful history of repression of peasants, social leaders, unionists, women, and children.

In fact, as No a la Mina (No to the mine) pointed out [es], the recent repression resembles the death squad operations that once left thousands of leaders killed in Guatemala. If social conflicts are going to be solved with a gun and left in absolute impunity, Guatemala's future looks just like its grim past.

Photos: Day One in Trial of Former Guatemalan Dictator

Silvia Viñas — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 20:36:18 +0000

Rios Montt Genocide Trial, Guatemala. March 19, 2013. Photo by James Rodriguez, used with permission.

Documentary photographer James Rodriguez shares a photo essay with “images from the first day of the historic trial against former de facto dictator Efraín Ríos Montt and former Intelligence Director José Mauricio Rodriguez Sanchez. Ríos Montt and Rodriguez Sanchez are charged with Genocide and crimes against humanity during the civil war in Guatemala (1960-1996) against the Ixil Mayan people”.

Former Guatemalan Dictator On Trial

Silvia Viñas — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 19:14:32 +0000

Rios Montt's lawyer and others believe that the trial is a “political lynching” [...] It doesn't matter if the guerrilas were going to turn “Guatemala into another Cuba;” the rape, torture, starvation and murder of civilians who might or might not have supported the guerrillas is just indefensible. But Rios Montt now has the opportunity to defend his actions and those of the officers who carried out orders on his and the state's behalf.

Mike Allison in Central American Politics refers to the trail against Guatemala's former military dictator Efraín Ríos Montt, which began today, March 19, 2013.

Guatemala: Audience on Genocide Case

Gabriela García Calderón — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 17:01:37 +0000

From Guatemala, blog Coordinación Genocidio nunca más [es] urges citizens to attend the historical court audience, where José Efraín Ríos Montt and José Mauricio Rodríguez Sánchez face trail for abuses against human rights during military rule in that country.

Mayan Priests Denied Access to Ceremonial Places in Guatemala

Renata Avila — Sat, 22 Dec 2012 05:23:10 +0000

Guatemala, the heart of Mayan culture, has started their festivities for the 13 Baktun – the last cycle of the Mayan calendar, due to end on Friday, December 21, 2012. But sadly the celebrations were dominated by staged government shows which were neither led nor shared by indigenous communities or spiritual leaders.

On stage, non-indigenous peoples were wearing indigenous clothes in a folklore show while non-indigenous attendees from the Guatemalan elites were in the most important ceremonial Mayan center, Tikal, waiting for the new era to arrive. Indigenous peoples were left outside, were they were demonstrating, playing the traditional instrument marimba.

Tikal Gran Jaguar Temple by Graeme (under a Creative Commons Attribution License)

The Guatemalan Federations of Mayan Radios [es] reported early in the morning of December 20 that authorities from the Mam – Mayan council were not allowed to enter the central plaza of the National Park Tikal, one of the places for 13 Baktun celebrations. Authorities from the Guatemalan Institute of Tourism denied them access, arguing that the area of ceremonies was cut off for the stage show.

Men and women coming from each corner of the country arrived early to start their traditional ceremonies but were left out until 11:45 pm when the religious authorities were allowed to practice their ancestral ceremonies. Indigenous attendees were in minority as they were neither invited nor allowed inside the main area. The audio can be downloaded here [es].

This is not the first exclusion Mayan people have suffered. Concerns were expressed earlier by the Western Peoples Council:

Oxlajuj B'ak'tun is the time to strengthen ancestral wisdom and the practice and never-ending search for balance; it's a moment in which we must transcend, raise the consciousness of human beings and recognize ourselves as such in order to reach a collective understanding. This means we must ensure that human beings be “truly human in balance with the cosmos and Mother Earth”, through interweaving and respect between cultures and the valuing of identity in every community. Lacking this, the link between the individual and their own reality is already impossible.

It is offensive for the Maya people to see the economic power and government institutions promote the FOLKLORIZATION of Oxlajuj B'ak'tun, commodifying this important event, creating a political image out of tourist promotion and the presentation of spectacles, in a way that does not appropriately interpret the Maya cosmovision.

It is shameful on the part of the Guatemalan government to make the international community believe it is promoting the Maya culture, when it continues to develop an aggressive policy of appropriation of our natural resources. This manifests itself in hundreds of concessions and imposed mining projects, hydroelectric dams, oil extraction, monoculture crops for transnational companies, all in the name of false development as a method of domination and racism in Guatemala.

Racism is rampant in Guatemala State – institutionally, interpersonally, and structurally. And it adopts new forms, such as the exclusion reflected in the new Mayan era celebrations. Let's hope the Mayan priests will be allowed in and celebrate according to their traditions and beliefs in the following days, as the festivities end on December 30 and that their voices and demands are finally heard by the international community.

Two Coins for the Boatman

Gabriela García Calderón — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 14:00:54 +0000

From Guatemala, Fe de Rata‘s blogger Juan Pablo Dardón, lists his plan [es] for the end of times:

I woke up early and put two golden coins
one for each shoe [...]
two coins I'm telling you
when meteorites fall down and all this gets open as an orange [...]
I'll put one in each eye
as I put my armas behind my head
that gets open as an orange [...]
the boatman has work to do
and deserves to be tipped

Ibero-America: Free Software Assessment Report 2012

Pablo Andres Rivero — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 18:21:09 +0000

The recently released Free Software Assessment Report 2012 shows the opinion, assessment and preferences of more than 5,000 people from Spain and Latin America. The study published in its fourth edition is promoted by PortalProgramas and supported by a number of experts and collaborators [es]. The report aims to contribute to a better understanding, use and dissemination of free software in Latin America. The summary of the study can be accessed online [es] and more information can be found on the report's conclusions for 2012 [es].