AAAS Scientific Responsibility, Human Rights and Law Program

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AAAS Human Rights Action Network

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FACTS OF THE CASE:

Matilde Leonor Gonzalez Izas, a historian who works for the Association for the Advancement of Social Sciences (Asociacion para el Avance de las Ciencias Sociales, AVANCSO), has been receiving threatening phone calls and has been kept under surveillance. Dr. Gonzalez conducted research and published material on new mechanisms that the military employs to maintain local power in the municipal of San Bartolome Jocotenango, El Quiche department. Her work has been controversial as it revealed the complicity of the military in the region's rising tide of mob violence and lynchings.

On 2 October 2001, a man entered Dr. Gonzalez's house and stole her laptop computer, which contained her research on the military. Also on that day, her neighbors noticed that two different cars appeared to be watching Dr. Gonzalez's house. Over the next few days, Dr. Gonzalez reported that she was being followed when she left her house. While driving on 9 October, seven cars surrounded her car, boxed her in, and forced her to take a different route. She saw an acquaintance in the street and asked him to get in the car with her. At this point, the seven other cars drove off. Fearing her safety, Dr. Gonzalez has gone into hiding. Despite taking this precaution, she still has received threatening phone calls on her mobile phone. She has also received strange phone calls at her safe house; after she answers the phone no one speaks on the other line.

This in not the first time that Dr. Gonzalez or a member of AVANSCO has been a target of human rights abuses. Since beginning her research in 1998, Dr. Gonzalez has received numerous threats and intimidation. In 1990, AVANSCO co-founder and anthropologist Myrna Mack was killed by a military death squad. She was conducting investigations that proved the military targeted civilian populations during Guatemala's 36-year armed conflict (1960-1996). In 1997, several AVANSCO members received death threats. (See AAASHRAN alert GU9702 for more information on this case.) Such threats against AVANSCO members appeared to be consistent with a pattern of monitoring and harassment conducted by member of the government's security forces against its perceived opponents.

The harassment of Dr. Gonzales represents for her legitimate academic research constitutes a violation of several human rights standards enumerated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. (The UDHR was adopted without dissent by the UN General Assembly in 1948 and is considered international common law.) Such activity also violates several articles of the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights. (Guatemala is a State Party.)

RELEVANT HUMAN RIGHTS STANDARDS

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

• Article 19(1): Everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without interference.
• Article 9(1): Everyone has the right to liberty and security of person. No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest or detention. No one shall be deprived of his liberty except on such grounds and in accordance with such procedure as are established by law.
• Article 17(1): No one shall be subjected to arbitrary or unlawful interference with his [or her] privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to unlawful attacks on his [or her] honour and reputation.
• Article 21: The right of peaceful assembly shall be recognized.

International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

• Article 12: (1): The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. (2): The steps to be taken by the States Parties to the present Covenant to achieve the full realization of this right shall include those necessary for: (c) The prevention, treatment and control of epidemic, endemic, occupational and other diseases; (d) The creation of conditions which would assure to all medical service and medical attention in the event of sickness.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

• Article 12: No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his [or her] honor and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks
• Article 19: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
• Article 20(1): Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Please send telegrams, faxes, airmail letters or emails:

• Requesting that the authorities carry out a full investigation into the events and make every effort to find out who planned and carried out the threats against Matilde Leonor Gonzalez Izas;
• Urging the authorities to take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of Matilde Leonor Gonzalez Izas; and
• Urging the authorities to denounce the threats and intimidation against Matilde Leonor Gonzalez Izas and other investigators and academics conducting research on human rights topics.

APPEAL AND INQUIRY MESSAGES SHOULD BE SENT TO:

Lic. Adolfo Gonzalez Rodas
Fiscal General de la República
Ministerio Público
8a. Avenida 10-67 Zona 1
Tercer nivel
Ciudad de Guatemala
GUATEMALA
Fax: 011 502 221 2718 (directo
Salutation: Dear Attorney General/ Señor Fiscal General

Sr. Byron Barrientos
Ministerio de Gobernación
Ministro de Gobernación
6a Avenida 4-64, Zona 4
Ciudad de Guatemala
GUATEMALA
Fax: 011 502 362 0239/ 362 0237

Salutation: Dear Minister / Señor Ministro

Lic. Gabriel Orellana
Ministro de Relaciones Exteriores
Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores
Avenida Reforma 4-47, Zona 10
Ciudad de Guatemala
Guatemala
Fax: 011 502 331 7938/ 331 8410

mint@mieno.gt
Salutation: Dear Minister / Señor Ministro

COPIES SENT TO:

Asociacion para el Avance de las Ciencias Sociales en Guatemala (AVANCSO)
6a Ave. 2-30,Zona 1
Ciudad de Guatemala
Guatemala
Fax: (502) 232 5841


Dr. Ariel Rivera Irias
Ambassador of Guatemala
Embassy of Guatemala
2220 R St. NW
Washington DC 20008
Fax: 1 202 745 1908

ambassador@guatemala-embassy.org
Salutation: Dear Mr. Ambassador

Please send copies of your appeals, and any responses you may receive, or direct any questions you may have to Victoria Baxter, AAAS Science and Human Rights Program, 1200 New York Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20005; tel. 202-326-6797; email vbaxter@aaas.org; or fax 202-289-4950.

The keys to effective appeals are to be courteous and respectful, accurate and precise, impartial in approach, and as specific as possible regarding the alleged violation and the international human rights standards and instruments that apply to the situation. Reference to your scientific organization and professional affiliation is always helpful.

To ensure that appeals are current and credible, please do not continue to write appeals on this case after 90 days from the date of the posting unless an update has been issued.

To verify the contents of this alert and/or the electronic signature, please download the signed file for this alert along with the Program's PGP Public Key.

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