Francisco Rocael Mateo Morales
Francisco is a member of the coordination of Wuxhtaj Council under the Council of Mayan Peoples -CPO. Since 2006 he has been promoting the fundamental right of prior and informed consent as a peaceful and democratic response of indigenous peoples and mestizos against the imposition of extractive industry by the State of Guatemala and transnational corporations. His organisation has also been accompanying politically communities affected by mega-projects in the municipalities of Barillas, San Mateo and Chochal Ixtatan Chiantla and aims for the territorial reconstitution and a space for self-determination for Mayan descendants, as well as mestizo peoples, with political clarity and sustainability. In 2015 Francisco was invited to assist to the Front Line Defenders Dublin Platform in Ireland.
In Guatemala, a serious issue is the unfair use of criminal proceedings in order to prevent HRDs from carrying out their legitimate human rights activities. Many criminal proceedings are launched by private companies (often backed by European and North American governments) related to the mining sector and the construction of dams, spuriously accusing HRDs of crimes such as acts of terrorism, usurpation of land, kidnappings and others. As part of the criminalisation process, campaigns of defamation and stigmatisation have been carried out by both state and non-state actors, particularly transnational companies and right-wing media publications.
