Guatemala: Bring murderers of banana trade unionists to justice

Dear Peter, Tell the new Guatemalan Attorney General the world is watching how she handles union murder cases. Guatemala is the most dangerous country in the world to be a trade unionist, and unions in the banana trade are on the front lines. Between 2007 and 2012, twelve organisers from the banana union SITRABI were murdered in northern Guatemala, and attempts to form unions in the south have been put down with violence and murder. The investigations into the killings are going very slowly, and nobody has been brought to trial, despite suggestions in March that possible culprits had been identified. And then Guatemala's Attorney General was suddenly dismissed, jeopardising the work she had started on the investigation. This is an international issue too, with implications for workers in many other countries. Guatemala is growing very quickly as a producer of bananas, as companies seek to find cheaper labour for their crop. The exploitation of Guatemalan workers makes them the cheapest and threatens jobs with better conditions and respect across Latin America. We need to take a stand to avoid a race to the bottom for the whole region. Can you help? It's a key moment for the issue. A new Attorney General, Thelma Aldana, has just been appointed by the President, amidst suspicions the change was politically motivated. Will she let these crimes just get swept under the carpet to spare the government international embarrassment? Please can you email the new Attorney General's Office and the Guatemalan Ambassador to the UK to demand action on these cases? Internationally, activists are ramping up the pressure on the Guatemalan government, showing them that impunity for union murders is damaging their country's perception in the eyes of the world. Your support will help show that the brave activists of SITRABI don't stand alone against these threats. Email the Guatemalan Attorney General's Office now