Celebrating the Third Anniversary of the “La Puya” Peaceful Resistance Movement

Members of La Puya celebrate their 2nd anniversary last March (2014)

Nearly three years have passed since residents from San Pedro Ayampuc and San Jose del Golfo first joined together in peaceful opposition to a gold mining operation near their homes. From a single act of civil disobedience emerged the world-renowned environmental justice movement known as “La Puya.”

La Puya began on March 2, 2012, when community members joined together to form a human blockade, preventing mining machinery from entering the site. Despite their dedication to nonviolent resistance, participants in the roadblock endured extreme repression — including threats, arrests, and violence — from both employees of the U.S.-owned mining company and the Guatemalan government. Yet, even after the blockade was violently broken up by riot police last May and machinery was escorted onto the mine site, members of La Puya continue to maintain a 24-hour presence in moral opposition to the project.

From Shared Stories, Solidarity

I just got back from Guatemala, and wanted to share my experience while I was there. As an intern, I had the opportunity to attend GHRC’s August delegation to Guatemala, titled Women in Resistance. In addition to meeting with different human rights organizations and the U.S. Embassy, we were fortunate enough to listen to the testimony of Ixil genocide survivors. Before beginning their testimony, they admitted that repeating their stories to us would be emotionally draining. Yet they understood that we were there to foster solidarity, and we assured them that we would share their experiences with our contacts back in the U.S. After three hours of listening to the five women speak about their experiences during the conflict, the room fell silent. None of the delegates knew how to respond to what we had just heard. I personally could not imagine the suffering that these women expressed to us: horrific details of rape; soldiers burning everything they owned; families fleeing to the mountains, just to watch their own children die from starvation. I had read similar stories through my GHRC internship. However, as I listened to these women weep and scream while recounting their experiences, I understood the raw reality of the genocide and witnessed the strength of these women for surviving to tell their stories. As we absorbed what we had just heard, Kelsey, GHRC Director, broke the silence by presenting the survivors with a poster. The poster displayed comments posted by our supporters to GHRC’s Facebook page. The comments demonstrated the vast international support and solidarity with all victims of the Guatemalan genocide. The women in turn expressed their gratitude that they are not alone in the fight to achieve justice. From Mara Goldberg, Intern, GHRC/USA