Who is Ramiro Choc?

A young Ramiro Choc.
Photo Credit: Unknown

"One delegate notably missing from the Health Tribunal in San Miguel Ixtahuacán and the Izabalense delegation was Ramiro Choc. Like his sisters, Angelica and Maria Choc, Ramiro is a prominent Q’eqchi’ peasant leader who has dedicated much of his life to the defense of indigenous communities in Eastern and Central Guatemala. But on February 14, 2008 six police officers dragged Ramiro Choc from a public bus en route to Guatemala City and took him to an undisclosed location. There he was unlawfully detained for 5 days and probably would have been made to join the country’s countless disappeared had it not been for a serendipitously timed call to a lawyer — a call Ramiro still believes saved his life. So, instead of having his image added the walls of the capital adorned with the faces the “desaparecidos”, Mr. Choc was suddenly made to reappear albeit in front of a judge on the trumped up charges of aggravated robbery, land stealing, and kidnapping.

Posters of the Desaparecidos in Guatemala City.
Photo Credit: Robin Newman

If not so tragic the irony would be comedic. Ramiro and the organizations for whom he worked, the National Indigenous and Peasant Coordinating Committee (CONIC) and Encuentro Campesino, dedicate themselves to defending embattled indigenous communities against the very same crimes for which he was accused and subsequently condemned.

In fact, Ramiro appears to have been convicted for his role in mediating a stand-off between police and an indigenous Garifuna community near Livingston in 2007. Invited by the Department’s Governor, he had travelled to Barrio Buena Vista la Esperanza to help negotiate the release of a group of men forcibly held by the community for trespassing and land theft. But as reward for mediating a nonviolent conclusion to a volatile confrontation - Ramiro was arrested and now, four years later, continues to sleep on a cement floor in the notorious Pavon Prison.

Ramiro Choc became eligible for parole in February of 2011 but was unable to pay the extrajudicial fine attached to his sentence effectively making probation and freedom luxuries he simply can’t afford. But there is hope. The stubborn determination of his sisters has collided with the dedicated activism of Rights Action and others. And this growing North-South alliance has raised sufficient funds to satisfy the states extortion. But for now, Ramiro waits."

I included this piece in OG Guatemala’s newsletter in 2012. In 2013, I had the incredible privilege of bringing our OG Extreme team to Pavon Prison to meet the political prisoner Ramiro Choc himself. If it weren’t for the guards, concrete walls and barbed wire Pavon Prison would appear to many as more of a town than a prison. Market stalls and small eateries or comedors line the paths and many prisoners continue to eke out livelihoods for themselves and their families on the outside by making artisanal crafts or engaging in the informal economy that serves the 2,500 residents of “Barrio” Pavon. An affable guide and fellow prisoner escorted our group through the maze of narrow hallways and makeshift homes that make-up this model of state cruelty and individual ingenuity. After a few stops for directions we found Ramiro outside a small shack and garden that he and another prisoner have devised as their sleeping and working quarters. There we talked with the soft-spoken Ramiro, about his case, about our program and about football – the Gold Cup final between the US and Panama was being broadcast by small hand-held radios and little TV sets throughout the prison. Our visit was than punctuated by an exchange of hugs and a small number of Ramiro’s own hand-woven bags and hammocks which OG will sell or auction in the coming weeks with all proceeds going to the maker and his family.

But the story doesn’t end there.

From our visit we learned that Ramiro had a probation hearing scheduled for August 11, 2013. Ramiro has had many other such hearings so, needless to say, neither we nor he held out much hope for a Guatemalan Judicial change of heart at this one. BUT on August 13 as our team sat with none other than Angelica Choc in the community of Aguas Calientes, Alta Verapaz listening to personal stories of repression, dispossession, and murder at the hands of the government, mining and agribusiness, Angelica got a call.

A smile began to spread and quickly overwhelmed her face. Unable to speak or understand Q’eqchi’, our group curiously waited to see what was moving our friend and host to near tears. “He’s out, Ramiro is free!”

Ramiro Choc, long-time indigenous activist and 5 year political prisoner is now free to be a father, a husband, and a brother. I, OG and our Extreme team thank Ramiro, Angelica, and all those in the struggle for land, livelyhoods, and basic human rights for allowing us to share in small victories like the one we witnessed on Tuesday at a picnic table in Aguas Calientes. Welcome home Ramiro! 

OG Guatemala Extreme with Angelica Choc

Guatemalan crimes follow Canadian company home

On Monday Ontario Superior Court Justice, Carole Brown, ruled that HudBay Minerals Inc. could be held liable for alleged violence at a Guatemalan mine owned by its former subsidiary CGN. The precedent setting decision means that the claims of 13 Guatemalans from the Izabal region can proceed to trial and may open the door for other cases of corporate malfeasance overseas to be brought home to roost in Canadian Courts.
This is an incredible victory for Angelica Choc, who for four years has sought justice and some semblance of retribution for the murder of her husband and prominent community leader, Adolfo Ich. For Albira, Margarita and the other 9 women of Lote Ocho who allege that Hudbay’s security forces violently and sexually assaulted them during a forced eviction in 2007, a trial will provide a rare chance to have their claims legally and publicly recognized. For German, a young father who, while attending a soccer match was allegedly shot and paralyzed by uniformed Hudbay security personnel, a trial is one step closer to receiving some compensation for the extensive injuries incurred in the name of “development”. But perhaps most importantly, this trial will put human names and faces to the too often unseen victims of Canadian corporate misconduct and inequitable relations which give it countenance.
I have had the privilege of working with Angelica, Albira, Margarita, and German for some 3 years now, and they continue to inform and inspire my work with mining affected communities in Central America and West Africa as well as Operation Groundswell (OG), an incredible not-for-profit which brings student-age adults face-to-face with people and places like the women and men of Izabal. Their struggles are representative of so many others dispossessed in their own territories so that capital might be accumulated elsewhere. And the conviction, commitment and collaborative spirit with which they continue the fight for justice is a model for me, OG and the world over. This victory, however small, is therefore a rallying cry to others to continue striving towards positive change. Adelante!
Note: OG Guatemala Extreme will join the plaintiffs and local press, as well as government and non-government personnel for official reactions to the Ontario Superior Courts Decision at a Press Conference slated for Sunday, July 28 at 8:30am local time. As some of the only foreign correspondents on the ground, OG participants will be documenting the proceedings with audio and video with hopes of bringing Canadian and American attention to this potentially precedent setting case and to the stories that lie at its heart. Some footage may be submitted to press outlets in North America but most will be synthesized for publication by participants using social media and other outlets. This is our commitment to the story tellers.

Angelica, Raul and the brave women of Lote Ocho.
Photo Credit: Robin Newman

To walk or run? OG brings new legs to "Spring Break"

It´s hard to imagine that three short weeks ago I was standing outside the arrivals gate at La Aurora Int´l Airport in Guate awaiting the arrival of nine incredible young adventurers. They and the equally inspiring nine that would follow represented OG´s first ever Alternative Reading and Spring Break programs.
When we envisioned these intensive week long programs I don´t think any of us imagined they could or would provide the same cultural immersion, critical reflection or defining experience as those of the six week summer programs. But after having said goodbye to a second group of wide, albeit weary and teary eyed campañeros I´m inclined to wonder...
I remember, in interviews with the then would be participants, calling the spring programs a sprint but after running alongside them as they learned the complexity of Guatemala's culture and explored the benefits of fairer trade, I think that perhaps the shear pace and intensity allowed us to cover near the same figurative ground as the summer marathoners.
So, to those who bravely undertook this formative journey, SALUDOS Y GRACIAS!

Beyond opening my eyes to what can be accomplished in a single week here are some of OG Alternative Reading and Alternative Spring Break´s physical achievements:
Carmen´s Pig pen, Tilapia pond and biodigester are now fully operational. Aside from providing a substantial source of pig and fish protein for the family, the innovative project, constructed in large part by ARW, will produce fuel for stoves/lanterns and fertilizer for Bananas, Corn, and Beans in a nearly completely sustainable closed loop.
San Miguel Escobar´s green school now has nearly 1/4 of its exterior walls built thanks to the hard work of both ASB and ARW crews and the supervision of Don Pedro, Matt, and Timoteo. The facility will be the city´s first secondary school.
A combined total of 110lbs of coffee fruit was picked and processed by both programs. But perhaps the most productive aspect of this experience were the lessons drawn - for their hours of labour those 110lbs of fruit would yield Alberto, our host coffee farmer, about 15lbs of saleable coffee. Think about it, 4 years of planting and tending, 40hrs+ of picking and depulping, 15 days of drying, and incalculable hours of deshelling/selectioning = 15 measly bags of coffee. At int'l prices that would be about $26, at Fair Trade prices that would only be $4 more. Fortunately for Alberto's family, he grows gourmet coffee, roasts it with As Green As It Gets (his coffee
cooperative) and sells a great deal of it via direct trade at between
$7-8 per lb. Makes you think, it sure did us.
We also discovered that in Guatemala, Roya, a rust coloured fungus, was expected to devastate approx. 50-70 percent of the coffee crop for
2013 resulting in an official state of emergency. In the small ex-guerrilla run coffee community of Santa Anita, the prognosis was particularly dire. So, OG and the local association collaborated on the purchase of 8 backpack sprayers as well as 25kg of Copper Sulphate and Calcium. These ingredients have proven to be an effective antifungal and will allow Santa Anita to maintain its organic certification in the US. Eager to help with the first required application, ASB & ARW participants grabbed the glorified squirt guns and joined Don Orelio, Santiago and others in the fields. All in all the crews combined to treat an incredible 40 cuerdas or approx. 14km2 with the mineral agent. Dale!
Weary and with little rest, ASB & ARW still committed themselves to two of Guatemala's more challenging treks.
The first undertook a sometimes gruelling 25km journey, ascending through alpine rainforest onto the Siete Cruces ridge (3500m) and then down through cloud and bamboo forest to the Fuentes Georginas, a volcanic hotspring where they rewarded themselves with a relaxing soak The second group unanimously decided to scale Volcan Santa Maria, one of the highest and most impressive/infamous volcanoes in Central America. This 10km near vertical climb brought participants to the very top of Guatemala's highlands (3772m) where they could stare at Guatemala's impressive volcanic ridge and down to the same valley the volcano had once devastated below.
Needless to say when the groups finally arrived at Lago Atitlan, site of OG's new Placed based operations (The HUB), for debrief and disorientation, there were countless stories to share.

Only one week!? What did you do last week?

Global Guide Issue 1 (2012)

The Land of Luv & Tortillas in 2012

Tzibal Slideshow from Ben Sampson on Vimeo.

Community Constructions

Dear Contributors, Stakeholders, and friends,

An incredible year has passed since OGG first met the small community of Tzibal in 2011 and, in their effort to continue the connections created during one unforgettable week, com- mitted themselves to the construction of the Cancha. Not merely a basketball/football court nor a water-catching roof. The Can- cha is a collaborative project proposed by the Comité de Mujeres, promoted by the COCODE, conceptualized by Baird Sampson Neuert Architects/Blackwell & Associates, and funded in large part by passionate young students from across North America. But most importantly the Cancha and Centro Comunitario will be produced and presided over by the men, women, and children of an isolated but inspirational pueblo.  

This rag-tag consortium of dreamers and doers continues to be connected by friendship and solidarity but many now find themselves cast out and spread across the hemisphere, some by travels, some by studies, and others by professions. So, to all those who remain committed or perhaps just curious, read on, these pages are for you. First you will find a comprehensive up- date including news on the Cancha’s design and construction, other community developments, the state of fundraising and financing, as well as evaluative perspectives and prospects 365 days on. You will also find stories, in word and image, from OG’s most recent visit to the land of luv and tortillas. 

On Behalf of the OG Alumnos and the community of Tzibal, thank you and Bantiox. 

Developments

From its conception in the dirt to its most recent digital rendering by Baird Sampson Neuert and Blackwell & Associates, the Cancha as seen some dramatic changes. Originally envisioned as little more than a slab of concrete measuring 22 x 25 metres, the imaginations of local and international stake- holders now see a community campus encompassing four cuerdas (40 x 40 metres). The official NBA sized court complete with hybrid basketball/soccer posts and Mayan styled bleachers will occupy the lower three-quarters while a tiered community fruit and vegetable garden will occupy the slope above. Freestanding composting latrines and sink facilities will be discretely situated amongst Macadamia and Cypress trees on the facility’s outer edge. The Cancha’s roof will be constructed with an innovative steel cable and polypropelyn rope web onto which aluminum and plastic tiles will be fastened using bamboo purlins. This represents a wholly new and novel intersection of modern design, local materials, and indigenous know-how. Despite the incredible reductions in load due to the minimizing of structural and material costs, the four A-frames that punctuate the Cancha’s four corners have had to be reinforced to support the tension system above. The result is as impressive as it is innovative. 

To accommodate the more ambitious structure and its surroundings, the community and OGG 2011 ponied up Q15,000 (approx. $2000) to purchase more suitable land in close proximity to the school. Despite the reduced grade and increased accessibility however, the site still required a great deal of preparation prior to the commencement of construction. In this regard an appeal was made to the Municipality, economic conditions, the Municipality refused Tzibal’s re- quest for help. So, in place of bulldozers, jackhammers, and gas powered tempers two OGG crews joined with the men, women, and children of Tzibal clearing, tiering, and levelling the Cancha's acreage. But the manual labour was hampered by the local climate, economic and otherwise. Due to a poor growing season and consequent delays to community bean and corn harvests, Tzibal’s men were called away to work for fincas as far as Petén and Mexico. Unsurprisingly in their absence, little progress could be made towards the completion of the Cancha. With added, inflationary pressures, increasing fuel costs, and decreasing government assistance, construction schedules have had to be amended. 

In place of a single sustained effort, the Cancha will now be created in two phases. Phase 1 was inaugurated on August 25, 2012 in small a ceremony attended by the local teachers, the Director of the District School Board, the CO- CODE, members of the community. The uncharacteristically quiet occasion was also marked by the donation of the remaining $10,000 raised by OGG participants.    

During the coming months, the Cancha’s large foot print will be formed and poured. The innovative trusses will be made to order by steelworkers in San Pedro Carcha be- fore being anchored in concrete. And the basketball nets/ football posts will be acquired and attached. Completion of phase 1 is expected in the first quarter of 2013.  

Phase 2 which will include the construction of the roof, and composting toilettes will then extend through the spring and early summer with the Cancha’s inauguration tentatively planned for July/Aug. 2013 to coincide with the OGG “Off the Grid” program.  The new timeline is based on a reassessment of construction schedules and re-evaluation of budgetary projections conducted in collaboration with the community.  Based on these discussions and recent developments we deter- mined that current financing would be insufficient and a renewed fundraising campaign would be necessary to complete all of the Cancha’s component parts. The new campaign, which will launch on Nov. 26, 2012, will therefore seek to raise an additional $5,000 to cover the budgetary shortfall and allow phase 2 construction. An updated detailed budget has been released (below) and donations are currently being accepted at the Cancha's new Causevox page @ www.cancha.causevox.com.    

Your continued support is greatly appreciated

Thank you and Bantiox

Local Headlines

 The Mano Dura grips Campur

President Otto Perez Molina, a man both respected and reviled for his “mano dura” has so far lived up to his slogan. Elected in 2011, the ex-general pulled no punches launching an ambitious expansion of Guatemala’s military and police. Both will see physical increases of 20% and 40% respectively and detachments will be deployed to communities, small and large, across the country. In Campur, soldiers have replaced civil police in a dramatic sign of the Mano Dura’s reach. A fortified barracks has replaced the modest office of the exiled PNC and the sight of green camo is now a common occurrence on the streets of Campur. In the con- text of increasing delinquency reaction has been mixed. Some see the military contingent as a bastion of security while others see only its own misconducts. Either way the Mano Dura shows no signs of softening.

 The COCODITO’s plant new roots

17 year old Alejandro is in most respects an ordinary Guatemalan teenager. A spitting image of his dad, Alfonso, the young Tzibalense man is a mean footballer, a talented drummer, and a charismatic DJ and MC. But Alejandro is also the ambitious leader of the new COCODITO’s. A common Spanish play on popular words, the addition of ITO denotes a smaller, cuter version of the local COCODE or Community Development Council. This small group of impassioned youth aged 12-17 have launched a campaign to ignite the developmental imaginations of their companeros and see those visions of what Tzibal could and should be realized through small scale projects. The first of these mini-proyectos is a tree planting campaign to introduce shade and shelter to the otherwise sun baked or rain soaked road connecting Tzibal to neighbouring Campur. The second project will be to chronicle the COCODITO’s increasingly ambitious campaign. So, stay tuned.

Mining Goes on Trial

At 5am on Saturday July 14, OGG packed up and headed off to San Miguel Ixtahuacàn. There the group joined other international delegations, human rights accompaniers, journalists, and local community members for the first ever International Peoples Health Tribunal.  

Initiated by local stakeholders in San Miguel Ixtahuacàn, the event was coordinated in collaboration with Susana Caxaj, a University of Western graduate student and volunteer with Mining Injustice Solidarity Network (MISN), as well as the local Parrish and FREDEMI (Front in Defense of San Miguel Ixtahuacàn). Also participating were people affected by Goldcorp’s Los Filos mine in Mexico and its San Martín mine in Honduras, as well as representatives from throughout El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Panama, who provided a regional examination and critique of the resource extraction model and its effects on communities.  

The tribunal was structured to resemble a trial with a panel of 13 judges presiding. For two days they and OGG listened to testimony from scientific experts, human rights organizations, and community leaders directly affected by mining.  Specifically, tribunal heard three cases from three different countries experiencing the (mal)effects of mining operations owned and operated by Canadian gold giant Goldcorp. The tales of contamination, defective and abortive pregnancies, skin malformations, inter and intra community violence, as well as forced evictions and assassinations challenged even the most ardent mining proponent.

The Verdict

After two days of testimony the international panel of distinguished observers which included environmental scientists, psychologists, legal and cultural anthropologists among others delivered a guilty verdict to Goldcorp, the host countries of Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico, as well as the Canadian Government for supporting and promoting in various ways irresponsible mining in Mesoamerica. The verdict read “...we find Goldcorp guilty for its activities in Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico, which we find to be seriously damaging to the health and the quality of life, the quality of environment, and the right to self-determination of the affected Indigenous and campesino communities.”

“Now we will hear from Izabal”

With that, Raul Caal Coc, a delegate from Chichipate, El Estor, immediately stood up throwing his arms in the air in triumph. For him and the six other delegates from the Department of Izabal in Guatemala’s nickel rich eastern reaches, the opportunity to speak and be heard was a rare victory. On his flank were fellow embattled activists Maria and Angelica Choc. And it was the powerful voices of the two Maya- Q'eqchi women from La Union, El Estor that filled the hall of international judges, expert witnesses, Mesoamerican delegates, and interested onlookers. Their passionate pleas for action also served to punctuate the two days of testimonies from affected communities.   

Angelica began: “we are victims of the Canadian mining companies in our country like many others that are here today… We are Indigenous people, we must protect ourselves.” Angelica Choc is the widow of Adolfo Ich, a prominent community leader from La Union, who in 2009 was gunned down by Mynor Padilla, head of HudBay Nickels security subcontractor. Her and Maria are also the sisters of political prisoner Ramiro Choc, an indigenous and community activist who has been held in federal custody since 2008. Her assured voice continued: “We are defending our mother earth because we know that it is from her that we are able to eat and live… They [the companies] continue to offer projects in our communities... Don’t believe them. The ‘bolsas solidarias’ they offer will not endure over the years but our land, yes, it’s for our children. So we have to defend them now… We are rich… and it is because of that foreign companies have to rob our economic resources, our natural re- sources and everything we have. And how? Violently and without shame. Do you know why they enter? Because they think we are still in the 60’s and 70’s when they massacred our parents and grandparents. They may still have blindfolds on, but today we, our children, our grandchildren no longer have blindfolds on, YES or NO?” the crowd quickly replied “No!”. Angelica then turned her attention to those that had not bothered to attend, those who hide their eyes and cover their ears to the abuses of their corporate citizens. “To the Canadian Government and Canadian authorities” Angelica asked, “hear me in Canada and do not send me back to seek justice in Guatemala. Because in my Guatemala there is no justice.”  

The verdict, read in both Spanish and Mam, inspired cautious smiles and applause from the Izabalense delegation and packed hall. But what now? Raul, Angelica, Maria, Germán, and the women from Lote Ocho would return to Izabal the following day where they will continue to face repression and persecution as local indigenous populations continue the 500 year old fight for land and livelihoods against foreign invasion and corporate dispossession.   

Who is Ramiro Choc?

One delegate notably missing from the Izabalense delegation was Ramiro Choc. Like his sisters, Angelica and Maria Choc, Ramiro is a prominent Q’eqchi’ peasant leader who has dedicated much of his life to the defense of indigenous communities in Eastern and Central Guatemala. But on February 14, 2008 six police officers dragged Ramiro Choc from a public bus en route to Guatemala City and took him to an undisclosed location. There he was unlawfully detained for 5 days and probably would have been made to join the country’s countless disappeared had it not been for a serendipitously timed call to a lawyer — a call Ramiro still believes saved his life. So, instead of suffering the planned disposal, Mr. Choc suddenly reappeared in front of a judge on the trumped up charges of aggravated robbery, land stealing, and kidnapping.   If not so tragic the irony would be comedic. Ramiro and the organizations for whom he worked, the National Indigenous and Peasant Coordinating Committee (CONIC) and Encuentro Campesino, dedicate themselves to defending embattled indigenous communities against the same crimes for which he was accused and subsequently condemned.   Ramiro was in fact convicted for his role in mediating a stand-off between police and an indigenous Garifuna community near Livingston in 2007. Invited by the Department’s Governor, he had travelled to Barrio Buena Vista la Esperanza to help negotiate the release of a group of men forcibly held by the community for trespassing and land theft. But as reward for mediating a nonviolent conclusion to a volatile confrontation - Ramiro was arrested and now, four years later, continues to sleep on a cement floor in the notorious Pavon prison.   Ramiro Choc became eligible for parole in February of 2011 but was unable to pay the extrajudicial fine attached to his sentence making probation and freedom a luxury he simply couldn’t afford. But there is hope. The stubborn determination of his sisters has collided with the dedicated activism of Rights Action and others. And this growing North-South alliance has raised sufficient funds to satisfy the states extortion. But for now, in his cell, Ramiro still waits.

For more information on the International Peoples Health Tribunal and the continuing struggles of San Miguel Ixtahuacàn and Izabal please visit: www.rightsaction.org

In Images...

    

Five Moons over Xela

Xela, Xela, Xelaaaa!* That oh so familiar sound signaled our arrival in, you guessed it, Xela. So, off the chicken bus we poured. Nine passionate and eager participants who had joined us only a day earlier all came rushing out and into the busy bus terminal. Although still jetlagged the group had already endured a whirl-wind 24hr tour of the country’s capitals, old and new, as well as an epic 5hr chicken bus ride up and onto Guatemala’s Western Highlands. They had even overcome a blown tire, albeit with help from a couple of ayudantes that would rival Nascar’s best pit crews. So, after a little urban trek from the Terminal to Escuela Xelaju and our cosy little casita, the group settled in. But before any sleep could be had OG got word that the Chivos, Xela´s beloved football team, would be playing in Guatemala’s National Championship against its rival from the capital, Municipal.   Soccer isn’t a sport here, it´s a way of life. So, OG went and grabbed some grub and prepared for their first cross-cultural lesson. The group of gringos crowded around the TV, cheering on the Chivos with the gusto of any Quetzalteco. And the Goats did not disappoint… After 90 minutes of nail biting, two action packed overtimes followed. But still nothing could be decided on the open pitch, so the Championship came down to penalties. Some participants covered their eyes, while others shouted profanities. A few were visibly confused by the whole ritual. But within minutes they were all on their feet as the Chivos and their Quetzalteco followers stormed onto the field and into the streets to celebrate the city’s fifth championship and the extra cleft moon that would now adorn their jerseys. And what better way to celebrate the new moon than to howl at it. Fireworks blasted and music blared as Parqué Central became party headquarters with a group of gringos and Xela’s newest honour guard right at its heart. 

Here & Back Again

So, it has been 7 months, over 40,000 miles and an additional 14 country stamps but I’m back. Can’t say this was a part of the plan but it’s nice to be back in the land of black sand, tortillas and traje, aka home. The infamous Allie Stote and I hit the ground here in Guatemala one week ago. And in the days that followed we criss-crossed this small funny shaped country by Tuc-tuc, Micro, Pullman, and Chicken bus. We visited Antigua and Operation Groundswell’s amazing partner As Green as it Gets. This coffee cooperative made up of Guatemalan campesinos and one very loveable, albeit pessimistic, ex-pat, continues to forge sustainable livelihoods for its members through creative agricultural practices and a variety of innovative development programs. We then travelled north to Xela where Quetzaltrekkers keeps on trucking ready and willing trekkers to the Guatemala’s highest volcanic and non- volcanic points while supporting some of the country’s most underprivileged children through the Escuela de la Calle (EDELAC) and El Hogar. This year, Quetzaltrekkers will help our crew get on tops of things and in return OGG will be establishing a scholarship fund for QT’ kids. Before skippin’ town we had to stop in a say “hola” to the equally amazing Escuela La Paz where OGG 2012 will be studying Spanish alongside an incredible group of indigenous women.  

1½ hours north of Xela near the small city of Colomba ex-guerilla fighters have traded their tools of war for tools of trade, the coffee trade that is. After arranging some sweet digs with the local coffee farmers and families of Santa Anita La Union, Allie and I turned back south eventually reaching the warm shores of Lago Atitlan and the open arms of San Juan la Laguna and Rupalaj Kistalin. This indigenous Tzitsujil community is increasingly turning its small artisanal and eco-industries into income generating tourist attractions while maintaining its rich cultural and linguistic heritage. But despite the temptations of this laid-back lakeside paradise we journeyed on. First south to Guate then east to Alta Verapaz and the tiny town of Tzibal. There OGG past and present will collide in a crazy construction project called La Cancha (The “Court”). This innovative community centre and basketball/soccer court features a water catching roof, composting toilettes, and organic garden (complete with 20lb radishes!). But after meetings with the COCODE (Development council), on-site coordinator, community teachers, and a night’s rest in a lawn chair we retraced our steps to Guate and the cozy casita of friends Luchy & Fam. And here we waited for OGG 2012 to begin… 

Some Courage with your Coffee?

Part 1 

ITT or Independent travel time is an OG time honoured tradition of temporarily abandoning its participants so they can stretch their legs and comfort zones independently while Trip Leaders get some well-deserved R&R. So, with everyone off on their own adventures in Belize and Petén, I got to shed some stresses in the tropical heat and cool waters of Rio Dulce. But after a couple days of repose I became restless and decided to return to El Estor to reconnect with anti-mining activists Raúl and María. Together we visited the barrio of La Unión and spoke with Germán. An amazing young man who had been shot by CGN (a wholly owned subsidiary of Canadian corporation, Hudbay Nickel) security forces in 2009 and left for dead. Miraculously he survived but the bullet had cut through his back, severing his spinal column and paralyzing him from the waist down. Subsequently placed in Guatemala’s underfunded public health system, Germán developed an ulcer and again would have almost certainly died had it not been for the timely intervention of Transitions, a courageous and caring group of North Americans and Guatemalans dedicated to rehabilitating trauma victims. Since then, however, Germán’s life as become no less difficult. After 18 months of recovery in different hospitals and rehabilitation centres across El Salvador and Guatemala, the permanent paraplegic returned home to find his wife gone, leaving him and his poor family with sole responsibility for his infant son. Now 23 years old, Germán continues to live with his parents, and his little boy, in their small home in El Estor.

Germán Chub Choc

In September, shortly after my visit, Germán bravely spoke out and shared his story publicly for the first time. But while the truth is finally being told, no justice is likely to come for Germán, not in Guatemala and certainly not in Canada. So, although Raúl, María, and Rights Action can do little to assist in apprehending German’s would be assassin in a climate of corporate impunity they are helping the young man carve out a new life.  Accordingly, they are appealing on Germ'an behalf for $7,500 to sustain his on-going medical treatments as well as support his own initiative to construct a small corner store that he himself could own and operate, and through which provide his family with a sustainable living. 

German’s Appeal:

“I, GERMAN CHUB CHOC, 23 years old, ID card number Q 18-40,585, of the community of El Estor, Izabal, am sending out this appeal to the international community and good-hearted people. I am a victim of the actions of the CGN (Guatemala Nickel Company) located in El Estor, Izabal. I was left disabled on September 27, 2009, the day of the murder of ADOLFO ICH CHAMAN, our campesino leader in Barrio La Union, El Estor, Izabal.

I am a man of meagre means and my parents are unemployed. This is why I am submitting to you a request for the following items that will help me with my daily needs and my mobility…”

GERMAN’S STORE = $5,500

On the family property, German and his family will build a small store structure (think tiny, local, corner store). It will be mainly a wood structure – framing, floor, doors & walls. It will have tin roofing, shelves, a refrigerator and small freezer, etc. It will be a wheel-chair friendly facility with a large open front and counter (and wooden shutters), ramps, doors and locks. The budget was prepared by German, his family and local community leaders that have been supporting German since he returned to El Estor and can be provided upon request.

GERMAN’s HEALTH NEEDS = $2,000

German also requires the following items for his daily life:

• RUBBER GLOVES: 2 PAIRS A DAY
• LUBRICANTS: 1 TUBE PER WEEK
• TOILET PAPER: 2 ROLLS PER DAY
• 12 MG STERILE CATHETER: 1 PER MONTH
• 10MG BLADDER CONTROL PILLS: 1 PER DAY
• ANTIBIOTIC MEDICATION, CIRIAX, CIPROFLOXACINO: 1 PER MONTH
• CIREX PILLS: 2 PER WEEK
• SOAP: 2 BARS PER WEEK
• LIQUID DISINFECTANT SOAP: 1 CONTAINER PER WEEK
• CLORINE DISINFECTANT: 1 GALLON PER MONTH
• A QUICKIE “COMPLETA” ACTIVE LIFE STYLE ALUMINUM WHEELCHAIR

“All the parts of this wheelchair are made of aluminium and suitable for my personal needs. I really need your help with these items as they are very expensive and I am unable to purchase them for myself. I would greatly appreciate it if you could provide me with QUICKIE “COMPLETA” wheelchair. This brand is very sturdy and recommended by doctors.

I am asking for your help out of real need. I have no other option but to knock on the doors of members of the international community. I hope I can appeal to your hearts, as I feel abandoned and dejected. THIS IS ALL THE FAULT OF THE MINING COMPANY.”

To make a tax-deductible donation and help Germán…

1.    Make check payable to "Rights Action" and mail to:

UNITED STATES: Box 50887, Washington DC, 20091-0887

CANADA: 552 - 351 Queen St. E, Toronto ON, M5A-1T8

2.    Make a donation via credit card at http://rightsaction.org/contributions.htm

3.    Make stock donation by contacting info@rightsaction.org

Under certain conditions, we can also put donors in direct touch with local community leaders who work closely with German. Please contact me or Rights Action if you have any questions or comments.

Ben Sampson Program Coordinator, Operation Groundswell 416-505-4262 ben@operationgroundswell.com

Grahame Russell Co-director, Rights Action 860-352-2448 info@rightsaction.org www.rightsaction.org www.facebook.org/RightsAction

Part 2

After saying goodbye to Germán and another fond farewell to Raul and María the following morning, I continued west back across the rocky roads of the Porochic Fault and Minas Mountains to Lanquin, El Retiro Lodge, and the friendly company of Anna and Karen. Together with Allison, we celebrated Anna’s birthday complete with chocolate banana daiquiris and bar-top dancing. And the following day the four of us finally got our day at Guatemala’s natural spa, Semuc Champey, complete with a candle lit tour of the Kamba caves. That night, however, Allison and I had to say goodbye again, this time to Anna, Karen, and new friend, Francine. Francine was a big, black Scorpion (about the size of my hand) who had decided to inhibit my tent and seemed intent on sharing one last night together in my sleeping bag even it killed her, which, as it happened, it did but not before she got off one epic luv bite. The next day, having survived my all too intimate encounter, at 5am Allison and I were back on a micro and off to the Guatemala’s Western Highlands for a 2 day visit to Santa Anita La Unión and the Asociación de Productores de Café Santa Anita (APCASA). The organic coffee and banana growing cooperative was formed by ex-guerrilla combatants who fought during the 36-year internal armed conflict that ravaged Guatemala until 1996. The community is made up of 32 families who have worked together since the Peace Accords to construct two schools, a daycare centre, a pharmacy, and a public library. They have also initiated an ecotourism project and developed coffee roasting and exportation abilities. After, a brief stop in Xela to pick-up Nikki, the three of us continued north-west by Chicken Bus to Columba from where we took a pick-up to the community where we would be staying. Despite their amazing progress, the cooperative has recently fallen on hard times. A split with La Asociación Maya de Pequeños Agricultores (AMPA) motivated APCASA’s abandonment by American “fair trade” distributor, Cooperative Coffees, and caused the loss of their exportation licence. Allison, Nikki, and I stayed with families on the finca while learning about their continued toils. Community leader and cooperative director, Sergio, explained how difficult it was to trade their guns for machetes. He described how during the war they had only trained and taught the defensive and offensive tactics of war, but in its aftermath they needed to train and teach the strategies of producing and marketing coffee. He said that during the conflict there had been no hope of acquiring a title, a diploma, or a degree. And that’s why the 32 families who spoke 5 different languages and came from 5 different departments organized and traded their tools of war for tools of peace and the means of increased prosperity. Now the cooperative and surrounding community has, according to Sergio, become a school for coffee cultivation and commercialization where they no longer learn the art of war but rather the art of agriculture. In a country where exportation only exists in the vocabularies of big company’s and has become synonymous with exploitation, amazingly, Santa Anita La Unión is attempting to convince fellow producers of the value of one of the country’s most common commodities. APCASA’s argues that coffee, like cocoa and others, provides a symbol of “amistad,” of “solidaridad”, and a vehicle for exchange, not only of cash and crops, but of ideas; ideas that begin with a respect for each other and for the environment, both which are integral to Mayan cosmology and the practices of a primary commodities producer. In other words coffee has become, for these ex-guerrillas, the means to motivate a modern “pink” and peaceful revolution.

All That Glitters Isn't Gold: Part II

Beautiful Izabal

Before roads and railroads, Lake Izabal was what linked the Guatemalan interior to the rest of the world. Commonly referred to as "the store" in English, the name evolved to its present form due to Spanish-speakers style of pronunciation and spelling. What is now known as "El Estor" was the landing and trading post for cargo and travelers to journeying from the coast to Cobán and beyond. This strategic position is what made it an attractive location to set up shop.  Unfortunately, one of the first to do so was the United Fruit Company, who came to dominate the region by appropriating the agricultural lands and denigrating the local indigenous population to manorial labour. In the 1960’s and 1970’s under the fog of war, a civil war that the UFC helped start, the company quietly withdrew from El Estor. Yet, as misfortune had it “the store” was located on Central America’s single largest nickel deposit and almost as quickly as one feudal giant left, another one took its place. EXMIBAL was a subsidiary of Canadian nickel giant, INCO, and until the war ended and nickel prices crashed in the 1980’s, it, like United Fruit, continued to perform what Galeano described as neo-colonial alchemy. Finally, in the 1990’s, and for little more than a decade, relative peace reigned. However, in 1997, a new neoliberal Mining Law and rising mineral prices combined to produce a %1000 increase in extractive exploration and exploitation in Guatemala. One of the first places that was re-opened for business was “the store” and one of the first company’s interested in restarting its alchemy was INCO.

Building on what it had seen and heard in San Miguel Ixtahuacán, OGG traveled to Izabal to meet with anti-mining activists Raúl and María and visit the affected community of Lote Ocho.

María Choc addressing OG and the community in Lote Ocho
Photo courtesy of Laura Huddart.

Allison writes:

“Today we visited the community of Lote 8, it’s close to the mine run by HudBay Mineral, another Canadian company. This particular community is made up of about 25 families and they are going through hell. Their community is in constant threat of being evicted by the mining company. At one point their entire village was burned to the ground, but they returned and rebuilt because this is their home, their land. Recently they have moved their village an hour hike uphill so that they can keep watch on who is coming and try to defend themselves. A couple years ago, security forces came to the town and because all the men were away at work they distracted the children and violently gang raped a dozen women, one of those women was telling us her story and saying how difficult it is to talk about. The whole community came out to meet with our group; they are so strong, so connected. They are all going through the same struggle and are so supportive of one another. Men and women both feel comfortable to speak up and the woman translating Q’eqchi to Spanish for us was a powerful woman with a commanding presence. Her sister is Angelica Choc who is currently suing the mine in Canadian court for the assassination of her husband who was a prominent community leader. The most powerful part of the day was when the women asked us after hearing their stories, “What are you going to do about this?” Wow, we can no longer be apathetic.”

Late on Friday August 5, 2011, just two days after our visit to the area, HudBay Minerals announced that it had agreed to sell 100% of its interest in the Fenix Mining Project located in El Estor, Guatemala. HudBay reportedly sold its stock in the nickel mine for $170 million, a fraction of the $460 million that the Canadian company paid for the project just three years earlier.

So, why the costly corporate retreat? "We believe this sale was prompted in part by the severe human rights issues at HudBay's Fenix Project that dogged the company at every turn. The murder of Adolfo Ich, and the gang-rapes of Rosa Elbira and the 10 other women at Lote Ocho committed by mine security personnel are albatrosses that weigh heavily on the neck of HudBay," said Murray Klippenstein. Klippenstein is the Toronto based firm representing Angelica Choc in a lawsuit against HudBay for the 2009 targeted killing of her husband, Adolfo Ich, by CGN (HudBay's wholly owned subsidiary) private security guards. Klippensteins also happens to be representing the 11 Mayan-Qeqchi women from the community of Lote 8 who were gang-raped by police, soldiers, and the same CGN security forces, as part of an illegal, forced eviction in 2007. 

A memorial to Adolfo Ich. Since his murder his image has become symbolic of anti-mining movements across the country.

The impunity in Guatemala that allows for a complete disregard for human rights and the rule of law is a well-documented and devastating phenomenon that dates back generations but like Maude Barlow, Chair of the Council of Canadians noted on her recent visit to Guatemala, impunity “is not only a Guatemalan phenomenon. It is profoundly a Canadian phenomenon.”

Klippenstein hopes the recent sale and law suits serve “as a lesson to Canadian companies that ignoring concerns over risks of severe human rights abuse can be incredibly expensive." But while Murray’s clients “continue to vigorously pursue their claims against HudBay and HMI in Ontario courts to ensure these Canadian companies are held accountable for their past wrongful acts," in Canada, there remains little chance for success much less redress.

Canada, unlike other countries, has no legal provisions or precedents, criminal or civil, for foreign claimants to pursue cases against Canadian companies for crimes committed outside of Canada. And even modest legislative attempts to introduce increased corporate accountability have been confronted by a coalition of staunch status quo defenders and human rights offenders, among them major mining industry players, Barrack Gold, and Goldcorp, as well as the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, the Canada Pension Plan, and Export Development Canada. Between 2009 and 2010, their concerted lobbying effectively sabotaged Bill C-300, an Act Respecting Corporate Accountability for the Activities of Mining, Oil or Gas in Developing Countries. The same motley crew subsequently reunited to prevent the passing of Bill C-354, an initiative paralleling the American Alien Torts Claims Act that would have amended the Federal Courts Act to ensure the international promotion and legal protection of human rights.

However, in 2011, the crimes of HudBay, the environmental violations of Goldcorp, and the human rights abuses of Barrack Gold have again become popular press items and prominent public concerns. Consequently, C-354 has been resurrected in the form of private members Bill C-323, currently being re-tabled in the House of Commons. In this new context, the cases of Angelica Choc and the 11 brave women of Lote Ocho may just have the potential to haunt Hudbay long after its sale of the Fenix Mining Project.

Please show your support for Angelica, Lote 8, and all the other victims of Canadian corporate malfeasance by supporting Bill C-323 and other initiatives towards minimum and mandatory standards of corporate accountability.

Lazy & Crazy on the Cahabón (Written for the OGG Blog)

Semuc Champey

The geological oddity that is Semuc Champey is widely advertised as the most beautiful spot in Guatemala. It consists of a series of limestone pools and gentle waterfalls that perch atop the raging Cahabón River. At its mouth, visitors can gawk as the river disappears in a torrent beneath their feet, and then, after relaxing in the cascading turquoise blue waters above, watch as the river furiously remerges 300m below.

The Cahabón River

The Cahabón Disappearing Beneath Semuc Champey's Lime Stone Bridge

And Reappearing 300m Below

Meanwhile, up above...

Photo courtesy of Laura Huddart

OGG, after an epic week in Tzibal, arrived in Lanquin, a quiet town that largely exists as a service station and hub for the travellers looking to lay eyes on and wallow in the waters of the Lanquin River and nearby Semuc Champey. There, the group settled into a cabana at El Retiro Lodge, a “backpackers paradise” if there ever was one, to enjoy the first of 3 days of relaxation and reflection before ITT. On day 2, OGG migrated the 11 km to Las Marias, a more modest refuge strategically situated 800m from Semuc’s gates. The group spent the better part of the day basking in the sun and bathing in the pools of Semuc before taking to candle light and exploring the nearby Kamba Caves.

Despite its many hotels, hostels, and rumours that Lanquin would imminently acquire its first ATM, rumours that have been circulating since my first visit in 2007, the tourist town still provides no way of getting all important Quetzales. So, leaving the group at Guatemala’s natural spa, Allison and I hauled ass into Cobán to haul out dinero. Not an unenjoyable journey by pick-up and micro through the “egg carton hills” and one which was deliciously capped off by a lunch of empanadas and papas fritas. But, TIG (this is Guatemala) and with wait times the 4hr trip turned into 6 and we returned from our day just in time to see the rest of the group returning in inner tubes from theirs.

The following day the group returned to Lanquin to meet the guys from the Association of Tourism and Ecological Development of Saquijá (ADETES). Deep in the thick of the Guatemalan jungle, and tucked into the mountains of Alta Verapaz, the community of Saquijá was founded over 100 years ago by a group of three families. Today the community boasts about 1000 residents, most of whom live as subsistence farmers. But since 2006, they have begun to use the attraction of the river to improve their circumstances through a community based tourism initiative. ADETES has received professional training from international rafting instructors and the Red Cross of Guatemala and now guides foreigners and locales alike down the class I, II, III, IV, and V’s of the Río Lanquin and Río Cahabón, on a route that has been ranked one of the top twelve jungle river trips in the world by Paddler Magazine.

The "Dream Team"
Photo Courtesy of Allison Isaak

Sadly, Laura had fallen ill and she and Jay remained behind as the group geared up and set out for 5hr’s of craziness on the Cahabón. Despite, confronting “Rock N Roll,” “Entonces,” and the infamous “Tres Hermanos,” OGG’s “Dream Team” and “Unnamed Boat #2” emerged unscathed from a river that had recently and severely victimized two PeaceCorps volunteers. Back at Las Marías, OGG enjoyed a good meal, a better beer, and a well-earned bed. The following day they would be heading by Micro across the Chixoy-Polochic Fault and Minas Mountains to the Department of Izabal where they would visit the mining affected communities of Cahaboncito, Lotte 8, and El Estor.