News
The Biden Administration Must Denounce Violent Repression in Peru
Download Joint Statement in PDF here.
In just one month since the Dina Boluarte government came to power, at least 48 civilians have been killed in the context of social protests, 41 of them as the result of wounds caused by gunfire. Human rights groups have sharply criticized Peruvian security forces, which appear to be responsible for mos... More
Human rights crisis in Nicaragua: the UN Human Rights Council must strengthen and renew for two years its resolution on Nicaragua
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Human rights crisis in Nicaragua: the UN Human Rights Council must strengthen and renew for two years its resolution on Nicaragua
I deliver this statement on behalf of 34 Nicaraguan and international organisations, of which 12 are part of the Colectivo 46/2, a coalition that monitors Nicaragua’s c... More
Guatemala: Organizations Applaud Recent U.S. Treasury Sanction Targeting Russian Corruption in the Mining Sector
The undersigned organizations applaud the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control’s recent action to sanction Russian and Belarus actors engaged in corruption schemes involving the Compania Guatemalteca de Niquel (CGN), Compania Procesadora de Niquel (ProNiCo), and Mayaniquel (subsidiaries of the So... More
Guatemala: Civil Society Organizations Welcome Introduction of House Resolution to Restore the Rule of Law
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U.S. civil society organizations welcome the House Resolution on Guatemala introduced on November 16, 2022 by Representatives Norma Torres, Albio Sires, Chuy Garcia, Jim McGovern, and Joaquin Castro. We are profoundly concerned with the takeover of Guatemala’s judicial system by corrupt actors, which... More
DPLF to participate as witness in virtual hearing before Ted Lantos Human Rights Commission on state of emergency in El Salvador
On March 27, following a spate of homicides that left 87 people dead in one weekend, President Nayib Bukele’s government declared a national state of emergency in El Salvador, which has since been extended five times. During a state of emergency, certain constitutional guarantees such as the rights to due process, legal defense, and freedom o... More
Venezuela: UN Human Rights Council Should Renew Experts’ Mandate
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The United Nations Human Rights Council should renew the mandate of its Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela, 125 national and international organizations working on Venezuela said today. The Mission, established in 2019 to investigate systematic human rights violations in Venezuela, h... More
Guatemala: Organizations reject the criminalization of journalist José Rubén Zamora and strongly denounce the persecution of critical voices
Download joint communiqué here.
The international organizations that promote the defense and protection of human rights and, in particular, freedom of expression, condemn the arbitrary detention for political purposes of the prominent journalist José Rubén Zamora, founder and president of the newspaper elPeri... More
El Salvador: State of Exception and Attacks against Human Rights Defenders and Organizations Facilitate State Abuses
This past weekend was one of the most violent in El Salvador. At least 80 people were killed in different parts of the country, allegedly by gang members. We condemn this situation, and stand in solidarity with the families of victims, local communities, and with the entire population that suffers because of these crimes. We reaffirm their right to... More
Guatemala: Constitutional Court to Rule on the Swearing In of Magistrate Gloria Porras
The international organizations that make up the International Observatory on Guatemala express grave concerns regarding news that today, the Constitutional Court of Guatemala will be hearing an amparo (a legal protective mechanism) related to the swearing in of Gloria Porras. This amparo, which would revoke the election of Gloria Porras, is t... More
International Organizations Reject the Criminalization of Judge Pablo Xitumul and Denounce the Persecution of Justice Operators in Guatemala
On February 9, 2022, the Supreme Court of Justice declared admissible the request to strip Judge Pablo Xitumul de Paz of his judicial immunity, leaving him vulnerable to impeachment. Pablo Xitumul de Paz is the judge of the First Court of Criminal Sentencing, Drug Trafficking and Crimes against the Environment, with jurisdiction to hear high-risk c... More