Sam and I are living an Internet-less life this holiday weekend, so fortunate I got an email on this timely unpleasantness just before the unplugging:

The note came from an old friend whose hemisphere status I can never keep track of; last I knew she was working with the Guatemala Solidarity Project. They have a (few weeks out of date) summary of the situation on their website here: http://www.guatemalasolidarityproject.org/actions.htm .

Part of the email I got is below and mostly an exhortation to contact local officials to keep them mindful of the fact that the situation isn’t going unnoticed. Seems like a useful Sunday afternoon por aquellos que pueden escribir en Español- si malo o no…

*Please immediately call the governor of the department of Altaverapaz at 011 (502) 7951 4311

* Please immediately email President Alvaro Colom at cbarrientos@presidencia.gob.gt
Please also cc: goberaltaverapaz@gmail.com, esay@oj.gob.gt, solidaridadguatemala@yahoo.com, stuand_wckr@yahoo.com, fdaltaverapaz@mp.gob.gt, mpcoban@hotmail.com

The demands of the members of Saquimo Setaño and CUC are:

1. The General Prosecutor of the Public Ministry reexamines and evaluates the actions of Prosecutor Sebastian Cucul concerning this case.

2. The President of the Supreme Court of Justice evaluates the role of the Judge of the First Instance of Penal Cases with office in Cobán Alta Verapaz.

3. The Human Rights Ombudsman and COPREDEH (Presidentioal human rights commission) closely monitors the situation in the community.

4. The Secretary of Agrarian Affairs uses all tools available to find a solution to the land conflict that is injuring this Q’eqchi community of Cobán.

5. The Governor of the Department of Alta Verapaz guarantees the safety of the members of the community.

Please write in English or Spanish your concern about the situation. Your email can be brief or long but it is important members of the regional government know they are being monitored. If possible, please write an email in your own words. Please include your location in the email.

Days later edit to add— this site posted the whole email.

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