UN SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOCUSES ON HUMAN RIGHTS

UNCLAS GUATEMALA 000189 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT PASS TO USAID FOR LAC/CAM KSIENKIEWICZ DEPT FOR IO/UNP E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM KCRM KJUS KDEM PGOV GT SUBJECT: UN SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOCUSES ON HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS AT RISK IN GUATEMALA ¶1. Summary: The UN Secretary General's Special Representative on Human Rights Defenders visited Guatemala February 17-21 to follow up on a 2003 visit and recommendations for promoting and protecting human rights defenders in Guatemala. Hina Jilani met with government officials, members of the judiciary and the Congress, representatives of the international community, and civil society leaders. She expressed concern over the level of impunity and institutional weakness, but acknowledged several recent positive measures that provide greater protection to human rights defenders. End Summary. ¶2. UN Special Representative Hina Jilani noted the alarming level of impunity in Guatemala and deterioration in the situation of human rights defenders since her last official visit in 2003. She blamed "parallel powers" for impeding change and undermining the work of human rights defenders. She expressed concern that "justice" had become a vacuous word in Guatemala, which reportedly has a 98 percent impunity rate. She noted that the number and intensity of attacks against human rights defenders have increased over the past five years, though attacks and threats against human rights defenders diminished significantly in 2007 (from 277 reported incidents in 2006 to 195 in 2007). Between July 2002 and December 2007, 50 human rights defenders, including 23 during the last two years, were murdered. According to Jilani, among the most affected by the violence are defenders of economic, social, and cultural rights and organizations pressing for justice and the right to truth, but unionists, journalists and representatives of indigenous and peasants' groups are also at risk. ¶3. Jilani asserted that the very institutions that should provide protection to human rights defenders and conduct investigations, namely the National Police and the Public Ministry, are part of the problem. She commented that police protection is selective, ineffective, and, at times, dangerous for human rights defenders, especially when the police officers providing the protection are allegedly the same officers involved in the attacks. ¶4. In a meeting with representatives of the international community on February 20, Jilani stated that the degree of impunity and institutional weakness, especially in the Public Ministry and the National Police, are profound problems and continue to be of great concern. On a positive note, she commented that civil society has developed since her visit in 2003 and plays a significant positive role in protecting human rights defenders. She also praised the Berger government's reaction in 2006 to the increase in attacks against human rights defenders that year. She acknowledged the political will and the commitment of the new government to protect human rights and to reduce attacks against human rights defenders. ¶5. Among advances, Jilani noted the creation of institutions and mechanisms to protect human rights defenders, including the establishment of the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG),the efforts of the Human Rights Ombudsman's Office (PDH),the creation of a new analytical unit in the Ministry of Government to focus on attacks against human rights defenders, and a proposal for a public policy to protect human rights defenders and other vulnerable groups, which is currently under debate in Qvulnerable groups, which is currently under debate in Congress. ¶6. At the conclusion of her visit, Jilani presented a preliminary report on her findings. She called on the GOG to take concrete measures to give political recognition and legitimacy to human rights defenders by firmly condemning attacks against defenders and recognizing the importance of their work. She urged the GOG to improve coordination among institutions responsible for investigations, especially coordination between the National Police and the Public Ministry, to ensure a prompt and coordinated response. She also urged the GOG to institute measures to ensure the cooperation of the Public Ministry in implementing forthcoming recommendations from PDH and CICIG. Human rights defenders urged strengthening of international cooperation to create a transnational mechanism for mutual protection. ¶7. Orlando Bloom, Presidential Secretary for Human Rights and Peace (SEPREDEHPAZ),agreed with the findings of the report. Acknowledging that defense of human rights is a responsibility of the state, Bloom said that the Executive is undertaking efforts to guarantee the protection of human rights activists. He expressed the Executive's commitment to strengthen coordination between the Public Ministry and the National Police to ensure proper investigations. Jilani's final report will be presented at the next meeting of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. Derham