Hermelindo Asij
Hermelindo Asij is a member of Comisión por la Defensa de la Vida y la Naturaleza (Commission for the Defence of Life and Nature) who also work with local community to inform them about their economic and social rights. The Consejo de Desplazados de Guatemala – CONDEG (Council of Displaced persons of Guatemala) presented a complaint on 11 June 2015 with regard to the ecocide.
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. State authorities continue to publish statements and press releases in which they publicly incriminate HRDs on unverified charges.
