Case History: Yuri Melini
On the night of 29 July 2015 an unknown gunman riding a motorcycle fired a number of shots outside the offices of human rights organisation Centro de Acción Legal Ambiental y Social de Guatemala (CALAS).
Yuri Melini has worked for over 20 years to protect the environment and to ensure the rights of indigenous peoples in Guatemala. He is the founder of Centro de Acción Legal-Ambiental y Social de Guatemala (CALAS). He has been targeted for assassination, surviving a shooting attempt on his life in 2008. He continues to face threats and intimidation and requires full-time security.
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- 29 Juillet 2015 : Shots fired outside offices of human rights organisation Centro de Acción Legal Ambiental y Social de Guatemala (CALAS)
- 30 Avril 2014 : Intimidation of human rights defender Dr Yuri Melini
- 2 Juillet 2013 : Defamatory article against human rights organisation CALAS published in four national newspapers
On the night of 29 July 2015 an unknown gunman riding a motorcycle fired a number of shots outside the offices of human rights organisation Centro de Acción Legal Ambiental y Social de Guatemala (CALAS).
CALAS has been active in denouncing abuses committed by mining companies in the region, in particular the transnational mining company Tahoe Resources Inc., and its Guatemalan subsidiary Minera San Rafael S.A.
This latest act of intimidation against the organisation occurred on the day prior to a scheduled hearing in which evidence would be brought against Mr Alberto Rotondo, the security manager of the San Rafael Mine. Alberto Rotondo is facing criminal charges of assault and obstruction of justice as a result of accusations that he ordered and then attempted to cover up an attack, on 27 April 2013, in which seven members of the community of San Rafael Las Flores, Santa Rosa were left injured. It is believed that the shots fired at the CALAS offices were linked to the criminal complaint against Mr Rotondo.
On 22 April 2014, the human rights defender Dr Yuri Melini discovered intimidating text had been painted on his front gate. The text names the member of the police provided as personal security to the human rights defender since an assassination attempt was made against him.
Early in the morning of 22 April 2014, unknown persons wrote “F.J.G. CAAL, M CHONTES” on the front gate of the home of Yuri Melini. 'Caal' is the surname of the member of the national police providing personal security to the human rights defender. 'Chontes' is a coloquial term for members of the police force. The security guard is a measure authorised by the Guatemalan State as a result of the attempted murder of Yuri Melini on 4 September 2008, when the human rights defender was shot seven times. In addition to the security guard, members of the local police force are required to monitor the neighbourhood and house three times a day. It is the first time that the human rights defender has been intimidated at his home, and he has reported the incident to the police.
On 1 July and 30 June 2013, a four-page full-colour article was issued by the Fundación Contra el Terrorismo-FCT (Foundation Against Terrorism) in four national newspapers, in which human rights organisation Centro de Acción Legal, Ambiental y Social de Guatemala – CALAS (Legal, Environmental and Social Action Centre of Guatemala) and two of its leaders, Dr Yuri Giovanni Melini Salguero and Mr Pedro Rafael Maldonado Flores were defamed and denigrated.
The Foundation Against Terrorism was set up by former military officials and military supporters and has previously published an article entitled La Farsa del Genocidio en Guatemala – Conspiración Marxista desde la Iglesia Católica (The Farce of Genocide in Guatemala – a Marxist Conspiracy by the Catholic Church). In the article published on 1 July and 30 June 2013, it is alleged that CALAS uses funds it receives from 'poderosas entidades internacionales' (powerful international entities) such as OXFAM and the Norwegian government to foment conflict in areas where mining and the cultivation of mono-cultures takes place. Yuri Giovanni Melini Salguero and Pedro Rafael Maldonado Flores, in particular, are accused of orchestrating campaigns of disinformation against mining companies in order to contribute to conflict between indigenous people and the companies in these areas. The human rights defenders are accused of endangering the economic progress of Guatemala and depriving the country of any opportunity for development. The article goes on to claim that CALAS fabricated stories of health scares in relation to the mine Mina Marlin in San Miguel Ixtahuacan. The Inter-American Commission for Human Rights - IACHR later ordered the closure of this mine.
Yuri Giovanni Melini Salguero was the subject of an assassination attempt on 11 September 2008. He was the 2009 recipient of the Front Line Defenders Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk. Front Line Defenders has issued urgent appeals on threats and intimidatory acts against him and Pedro Rafael Maldonado Flores on 4 April 2013, 30 August 2011 as well as on other occasions.
