Guatemala faces a human rights court over violent evictions of Indigenous communities
Years after Indigenous communities in Guatemala were forcibly evicted from their ancestral land, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) is asking a court to hold the government responsible and provide reparations. On Oct. 28, the IACHR announced it had referred a case to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, which rules on human rights violations […]
Over a decade after Indigenous communities in Guatemala were forcefully removed from their ancestral land, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has referred a case to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. The case concerns 14 Maya Q’eqchi’ communities in Alta Verapaz who were displaced to make room for sugarcane plantations.
According to the IACHR's referral, sugarcane cultivation resulted in the loss of traditional crops, severe environmental damage, and a direct impact on the health and food security of the Indigenous Maya Q’eqchi’ population.
The disputes over the land in question date back to 2005 when private companies began acquiring Indigenous land that the Maya Q’eqchi’ had inhabited for centuries. Prior to this, the Guatemalan government had failed to grant the communities proper land titles, leading to uncertainty about rightful occupancy. In 2011, following prolonged protests, a court approved the evictions of the 14 Indigenous communities who had resisted being displaced from their ancestral grounds.
The government at the time claimed it had a legal and moral responsibility to halt the escalating illegal actions that threatened the nation’s ability to govern effectively.
The evictions were described as "violent and involving disproportionate use of force" by the IACHR's referral.
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