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September 2020 Newsletter
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These are tough times for many people across the planet, particularly in countries of the global south, like Guatemala and Honduras. Tough times caused by the “normal pandemics” of poverty and exploitation, racism and discriminations, violence and dispossession, corruption and impunity, and the unequal nation-state system – all now worsened by Covid19.
“Inequality is the pandemic”
The fundamental pandemic characterizing the human ‘community’ on our planet is inequality: the systems of huge inequality of wealth and power between nations, between individuals, between peoples, between genders and races, etc.
“The facemask does not cover hunger and misery”
The unequal distribution of wealth and power, of poverty and powerlessness are so ubiquitous, so normalized, widespread and accepted, they are hard to see, let alone transform.
Yet, these are the “normal pandemics”, the normal inequalities that Rights Action’s partner groups are resisting and fighting against; this is the work and struggle that Rights Action is involved with.
Funding survival, resistance and transformation
Thank-you to folks across the U.S. and Canada who – perhaps going through tough times yourselves – have continued to support Rights Action’s work.
Understand this: Funding our indigenous and non-indigenous community partner groups is not “charity” work; these are not “gifts”. Regularly sending small grants to these groups is a decision to help enable their land, human rights and environmental defense struggles; to help enable their truth and justice struggles; and to enable their emergency response work – such as today, in times of Covid19.
Funds sent to partner groups
Since mid-March, Rights Action has sent almost $100,000 to our partner groups, mainly in Honduras and Guatemala, carrying out Covid19 prevention work house to house, community to community, while at the same time suffering, resisting and fighting against the “normal pandemics”.
OFRANEH & Garifuna communities, Honduras ($11,400)
Under siege by global tourism and African palm industries in partnership with the corrupt, repressive, U.S. and Canadian-backed regime
On July 18, 2020, these five Garifuna land and rights defenders were kidnapped and ‘disappeared’ from the town of Triunfo de la Cruz, by heavily armed, uniformed men linked to the corrupt, repressive regime in power. There is still no sign of these men.
Mayan Q’eqchi’ communities, Guatemala ($27,250)
Resisting harms and repression linked to Solway Investment Group (previously Skye Resources and Hudbay Minerals) in partnership with the corrupt, repressive, U.S. and Canadian-backed regime.
On July 17, 2020, this Guatemalan military helicopter landed in front of the home of Angelica Choc, Maya Q’eqchi’ land and rights defender. Her husband – Adolfo Ich – was killed September 27, 2009 by security guards employed by Hudbay Minerals, near this spot – the same day and location that they also shot and left paralyzed German Chub. Two days later, the regime declared a military state of siege in this region, in support of the on-going, illegal mining operation of Solway Investment Group.
Azacualpa Environmental Committee, Honduras ($2,300)
Resisting mining harms and repression linked to Aura Minerals, in partnership with the Honduran regime.
 
On September 6, 2020, Azacualpa community members protest the mountain-top removal gold mine of Aura Minerals that continues operating despite Covid19 restrictions and numerous legal investigations against it. Operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, Aura Minerals is devouring this mountain range, inching closer to the destruction of the village and cemetery of Azacualpa.
Mayan Achi communities, Guatemala ($11,000)
Never recovered from widespread massacres and violent evictions caused by the World Bank and IDB’s brutal Chixoy hydro-electric dam project, in partnership with the U.S.-backed military regimes of genocidal generals Rios Montt and Lucas Garcia, Rio Negro massacre survivors and their children carry out hunger relief work for the most vulnerable of the surviving victims of the Chixoy dam massacres.
“A prayer for the victims of Rio Negro”
Justice for March 2, 2016 assassination of Berta ($2,600)
Support for Berta’s mother and family, as they support COPINH-led efforts to seek justice for the Honduran regime-backed assassination of Berta Caceres.
“They have accused us not only of illegally trafficking weapons and of armed struggle, but also of being witches. That is the only accusation I accept. We have to be witches, in part, to put up with all we are living through, and to continue with our struggles. So yes, that accusation is true; the other ones are not. We live under great ‘criminalizations’, especially for being women.”
(Berta Caceres, from the book "Las Revoluciones de Berta")
Others
- Xinka and campesino communities, Guatemala, resisting mining harms and repression linked to Pan American Silver (formerly Tahoe Resources) - ($2,850)
- CIPPH (Coordinadora Indígena del Poder Popular de Honduras), supporting impoverished Lenca-descendant communities, western Honduras ($3,800)
- Siria Valley, Honduras. Villagers suffering Covid19 linked hunger and health harms, on top of on-going health harms linked to Goldcorp’s long-closed mine ($2,350)
- Guapinol Environmental Defense Committee, Honduras, resisting illegal mining, while trying to free 7 community defenders illegally jailed by the regime in support of the mining interests ($1,300)
- Community food kitchen, Guatemala City ($800)
- Community food kitchen, El Progreso, Honduras ($1,350)
- Patutul community, Guatemala ($500)
- Transitions Disabilities Association, Guatemala ($1,300)
- Guatemala human rights defenders ($3,200)
- Honduras human rights defenders ($2,500)
- Kukama women’s federation, Iquitos, Peru ($500)
- Jocoaitique historical memory committee, Morazan, El Salvador ($3,600)
- Pachamama Alliance, supporting indigenous partners in Ecuador standing for their rights and nature ($4,500)
- FAFG (Guatemalan Foundation of Forensic Anthropology), carrying our mass grave exhumations and searching for the disappeared, all victims of the U.S.-backed genocides and repression of the 1970s and 1980s ($12,000)
No going “back to normal”
As always, thank-you for your trust and support for our work and that of our partner groups suffering, resisting and fighting against all the “normal pandemics”, in addition to Covid19.
Thank-you for your own activism in your communities, working resolutely to fundamentally transform how we live together on this one and only planet.
Grahame Russell, director
[email protected]
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Tax-Deductible Donations (Canada & U.S.)
Make check to "Rights Action" and mail to:
- U.S.: Box 50887, Washington DC, 20091-0887
- Canada: (Box 552) 351 Queen St. E, Toronto ON, M5A-1T8
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May 15, 2020
UPDATES!
New Website AND Refreshed GoFundMe
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As many of you know, we have been working on a new website, and we are happy to announce that it is up and running!
Everything that existed on the old website is still there, and you will also find a lot more. As we are still in the process of some finishing touches, feel free to send any feedback you may have on the look, content or anything you think might be missing!
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We also wanted to say a HUGE THANK YOU, to all of you who have donated and/or shared our fundraised in your networks. We understand these are strange and difficult times for many of us, so to have your continued support means a lot.
With your help we are nearly half way to our fundraising goal of $15,000!
Check out our updated GoFundMe page to see how your contributions have been spent so far!
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Tax deductible donations (Canada / U.S.)
To support the work and justice struggles of the communities we support:
Credit-Card Donations: https://rightsaction.org/donate
Checks should be payable to 'Rights Action' and mailed to:
- U.S.: Box 50887, Washington DC, 20091-0887
- Canada: (Box 552) 351 Queen St. E, Toronto ON, M5A-1T8
Donations of stock? Write to: [email protected]
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