The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, within the framework of ProtectDefenders.eu, carried out in July a mission of judicial observation of the process against human rights defenders Juan Francisco Pedro, Adalberto Villatoro, Arturo Juan Pablo, Hermit Lopez, Mynor Lopez, Domingo Baltazar and Rigoberto Juarezm held in Guatemala City.
The defenders were arrested due to their role in the defence of the territory and natural resources of their communities in North Huehuetenango. They were accused of crimes as attack, coercion, threats, incitement to crime, obstruction of criminal action and kidnapping or abduction, among others. In a case regarded as emblematic of the pattern of criminalisation of human rights defenders in Guatemala and after 13 days of trial, the authorities unanimously acquitted of all charges five defenders, while two others were found guilty for some charges yet released immediately for having been in custody for over a year.
