Domingo Choc Che, Guía Espiritual Maya Q’eqchi’, científico, y maestro de medicina tradicional, fue asesinado el 6 de junio, 2020, en un horrendo crimen por sus prácticas de vida. Según Mónica Berger, antropóloga de la Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, él “era un guía comprometido con preservar y transmitir el conocimiento ancestral sobre la protección de Madre Naturaleza y su medicina, a las nuevas generaciones y al mundo”. Un grupo de pobladores de Chimay, San Luis, Petén, Guatemala, le prendió fuego a Domingo, y éste murió por la gravedad del hecho. Lo acusaban de brujo y de ser el responsable de la muerte de una persona en el pueblo porque le había hecho “brujería”. El 9 de junio 2020, la Policía Nacional Civil capturaró a cuatro personas que son supuestamente responsables del asesinato de Domingo Choc Che.

On September 28, Cultural Survival and Sobrevivencia Cultural, (our sister organization in Guatemala), submitted a petition to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), to appeal the decision of Guatemala's Constitutional Court which violates Indigenous Peoples' rights through the country's telecommunications law that excludes Indigenous Peoples from operating community radio stations. 

On April 11, 2024, Columbia Global Freedom of Expression (CGFoE) revealed the winners of the 2024 Columbia Global Freedom of Expression Prizes in the categories of Significant Legal Ruling and Excellence in Legal Services, recognizing remarkable contributions to the advancement of freedom of expression worldwide.

Intervention in the 23rd Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues Delivered by the Maya Lawyers Association and Cultural Survival

Theme 3 (continuation): Discussion on the topic “Enhancing the right of Indigenous Peoples to self-determination in the context of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: highlighting the voices of Indigenous youth”

Presented by: Adriana Sunun (Kaqchikel Maya)

By César Gómez (Maya Poqomam, CS Staff)

As time goes by, communications evolve. Facebook, Instagram, X, WhatsApp, are some of the platforms that, second by second, minute by minute, interconnect millions of people around the world, bringing the borders of countries closer. However, these new technologies require the purchase of data, making their use dependent on the market and excluding the vast majority of the population who cannot afford them.

By Kajkoj Máximo Ba Tiul (Maya Poqomchí')

Guatemala: Years of Contempt and Abandonment

Guatemala has a population of close to 18 million inhabitants, mostly Indigenous, although the last census reported the population at 40 percent. The Indigenous population is made up of four Nations known as the Maya, Xinka, Garifuna, and Ladino Peoples. The Maya Nation is the largest, with 23 distinct Peoples. This composition of its inhabitants makes Guatemala a plurinational country.

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