Intimidation against Angélica Choc
In the early hours of 17 September 2016, shots were fired outside the home of Ms Angélica Choc in El Estor, where she slept with her two children. The next morning, the human rights defender discovered at least four shots were fired at the wall surrounding her home.
Angélica Choc is a human rights defender from the community of El Estor, located in the department of Izabal. In 2010, Angélica Choc along with 12 other plaintiffs, sued the company Hudbay Minerals and its local subsidiary Compañía Guatemalteca del Níquel (Guatemala Nickel Company) in Canada, in an unprecedented effort to bring justice to their Maya-Q’eqchi' community. This community has strongly opposed the mining project, and as a result, has faced violent acts of repression committed by State forces, and private security forces contracted by the company. Since March 2015, Angélica Choc has also been the lead victim accuser in a high profile criminal trial in Guatemala against Mynor Padilla, a retired agent from the Guatemalan army and former security chief for Hudbay Minerals.
On 29 September 2016, more than 80 international organisations and 650 individuals signed a solidarity statement with human rights defender Angelica Choc and other WHRDs who have been attacked, threatened, criminalised or killed because of their work in the defense of land, environmental and indigenous people's rights.
In the early hours of 17 September 2016, shots were fired outside the home of Ms Angélica Choc in El Estor, where she slept with her two children. The next morning, the human rights defender discovered at least four shots were fired at the wall surrounding her home.
Angélica Choc is a human rights defender from the community of El Estor, located in the department of Izabal. In 2010, Angélica Choc along with 12 other plaintiffs, sued the company Hudbay Minerals and its local subsidiary Compañía Guatemalteca del Níquel (Guatemala Nickel Company) in Canada, in an unprecedented effort to bring justice to their Maya-Q’eqchi' community. This community has strongly opposed the mining project, and as a result, has faced violent acts of repression committed by State forces, and private security forces contracted by the company. Since March 2015, Angélica Choc has also been the lead victim accuser in a high profile criminal trial in Guatemala against Mynor Padilla, a retired agent from the Guatemalan army and former security chief for Hudbay Minerals.
In the early hours of 17 September 2016, shots were fired outside the home of Angélica Choc, where she slept with her two children. Immediately after the shooting, the human rights defender called family members to come to her house to keep her company. Later that day, the police identified a number of 12 calibre casings and 22 calibre shotgun bullet casings, in addition to documenting four bullet impact holes in the outside wall of Angélica Choc's house. The human rights defender filed a complaint with the police and public prosecutor's office.
In late 2006 and early 2007, police, military and private security forces conducted a number of forced evictions in Maya-Q'eqchi' communities in El Estor, alleging that they owned the land. In the course of these evictions, hundreds of houses were burned to the ground, gunshots fired, and in at least one community, several women were gang-raped. Evicted communities have since slowly returned to the area and continue to reside and farm on their land, however, not without persistent opposition from the mining company.
Angelica’s husband Adolfo Ich Chamán, former President of the Community of La Uníon and a respected Mayan Q’eqchi’ community leader, was killed in 2009 due to his leadership role speaking out about the rights violations caused by Canadian mining in Guatemala. Adolfo was hacked with a machete and shot in the head, allegedly by the private security forces contracted by the mining company. In Choc v Hudbay, Angélica Choc personally sued Hudbay Minerals Inc, HMI Nickel Inc and Compañía Guatemalteca de Níquel S.A. in Canadian courts for the death of her husband. The case is ongoing.
Since March 2015, Angélica Choc has also been the lead victim accuser in a high profile criminal trial in Guatemala against Mynor Padilla. On 27 September 2009, the same day Adolfo Ich Chamán was killed, human rights defender Germán Chub Choc was shot at close range by the head of security personnel for HudBay's Fenix Mining Project, Mynor Padilla. As a result, Germán Chub is paralysed and no longer has use of his right lung. The Public Prosecutor and the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) are the other two accusers in the case. The case is ongoing.
Front Line Defenders condemns the acts of intimidation against human rights defender and Maya-Q'eqchi' community leader Angélica Choc and urges the State of Guatemala to promptly conduct an investigation into the incident and bring the responsible parties to justice.
Front Line Defenders urges the authorities in Guatemala to:
1. Carry out an immediate, thorough and impartial investigation into the acts of intimidation against Angélica Choc and her family, with a view to publishing the results and bringing those responsible to justice in accordance with international standards;
2. Take all necessary measures, in consultation with the defender, to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity and security of Angélica Choc as well as of the members of her family.
3. Guarantee that in all circumstances, all human rights defenders in Guatemala are able to carry out their legitimate activities without fear of reprisals.
