This editorial, published last week in Spanish by Guatemalan newspaper La Hora, denounces how the government of Otto Pérez Molina and complicit media attempted to criminalize anti-mining protests in San Rafael Las Flores by linking protestors to organized crime.
This editorial, published last week in Spanish by Guatemalan newspaper La Hora, denounces how the government of Otto Pérez Molina and complicit media attempted to criminalize anti-mining protests in San Rafael Las Flores by linking protestors to organized crime.
To justify the state of siege in the municipalities of Jalapa and Mataquescuintla, in addition to San Rafael Las Flores and Casillas, the government said they were pursuing a drug-related criminal network linked to drug trafficking, as declared by the President to international media and reported, for example, by El País newspaper in Spain, while the Minister of the Interior strongly asserted that the Zetas drug cartel were exploiting the protest against mining.
Yesterday, however, both the Minister of the Interior and the Attorney General said there was no evidence of links to drug trafficking, despite having reported to leaders of the Parliament Xinca and the community of Santa Maria Xalapán that the Zetas were involved. Now it has been said that the state of siege was imposed to recover stolen explosives from the San Rafael mine and recover weapons that were stolen from police held illegally by settlers.
The rule of law, with full constitutional guarantees, contains mechanisms to prosecute all criminals and those who have committed illegal acts such as theft of explosives, hijacking enforcement officers and the destruction of stolen vehicles and weapons. The same rule of law contains mechanisms to punish mining security agents who have attacked individuals. The same rule of law has mechanisms – useless ones at that – to investigate why a few months ago investors complained that they were asked for money in exchange for granting the license and how it could be that, magically, that very license was granted to them.
From the beginning we maintained that the authorities had to be very careful in how they reported events because it is wrong to smear an entire community by, for example in the case of Xalapán, saying that their actions were linked to drug trafficking, specifically the Zetas cartel, to then go and change their statement. The former idea still remains in the public perception and as the saying goes, water spillied can never be completely collected, even if clarifications are made as the Minister Bonilla Lopez and Attorney Paz y Paz sought to do yesterday.
What we have here is the blatant criminalization of protest and the repression of those opposed to mining. Additionally, as the feelings of the people have not been taken into account at all and their rejection of mining has been cavalierly ignored, it is natural that there are sources of conflict caused by lack of respect for the people. However, to quell discontent, the government responded by cancelling the constitutional guarantees that give rights to the people. Did this solve the problem, or only exacerbate it? Time will tell.
Minutero:
Criminalizar la protesta
es la intención manifiesta;
si no quieren dialogar
palo tienen que dar