No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeArchiveIndigenous leader killed in Guatemala

Indigenous leader killed in Guatemala

GUATEMALA CITY – A member of Guatemala’s National Indigenous and Campesino Coordinating Council (CONIC) was killed by several gunshots in a small village in the western Guatemalan highlands, the organization reported on Tuesday.

Gerónimo Sol Ajcot, 68, died in an attack on Monday in the indigenous municipality of Santiago Atitlán, in the department of Sololá, located some 170 km west of the capital, a statement from CONIC said.

“Six men, heavily armed and hooded, shot [Ajcot] to death with a firearm … as he left his home,” the press release said.

Last week, Carlos Hernández, leader of the National Health Workers’ Union, was shot dead in a town near the border with Honduras.

The incidents were condemned by the United Nations Office for Human Rights in Guatemala, which urged authorities to take “urgent measures” to ensure the protection of activists in the country.

“It is unacceptable to use such criminal practices to thwart and obstruct the free exercise of human rights, including labor rights and freedom of expression,” said Alberto Brunori, a representative of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Some 1,036 people have been killed in Guatemala in the first two months of 2013, more than 90 percent of them by firearms and knives, according to the National Institute of Forensic Science (INACIF).

Trending Now

Costa Rican Lottery Official Investigated in Money Laundering Case

Another money laundering case has shaken Costa Rica. Following a series of raids that dismantled a laundering network operating through legal and illegal lottery...

Panama Removed from EU High-Risk List, but Tax Haven Status Remains

The film The Laundromat, starring Meryl Streep, damaged Panama's reputation by drawing inspiration from a real-life story: the global scandal that erupted a decade...

Algal Bloom Detected in Costa Rica’s Gulf of Nicoya

A noticeable change in watercolor has been reported across several zones of the Gulf of Nicoya and coastal areas adjacent to the Nicoya Peninsula....

Costa Rica Reports Surge in Human Trafficking Cases

The General Directorate of Immigration (DGME) has reported 36 confirmed victims of human trafficking for commercial or sexual purposes in Costa Rica during the...

What are Diatoms and how are they used in Costa Rica?

A key ally in natural pest control is now available in Costa Rica.

US Visa Cost Increase for Travelers and Workers Under New Law

United States President Donald Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill into law on July 4, introducing a new surcharge for most non-immigrant US...
Avatar
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica