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Dear President Perez Molina

Assassinations and attacks against trade unionists and indigenous peoples leaders

On behalf of the Trades Union Congress, British workers and the 6 million members of our affiliated unions I am writing to add our support to the statement issued by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), condemning the series of murders and armed attacks, one of which left a trade unionist critically injured, that took place between 4^th and 11^th July.

On 4 July, Lolita Chávez, leader of the K'iche Peoples' Council (CPK), was the target of an assault in which CPK members where attacked by armed men looking for the community leader. Fortunately, they were not able to find her.

On 10 July, Hugo Lionel Acevedo Agustín, a member of the Chiquimula municipal workers' union SITRAMUNICH, was murdered while working at a quarry in the village of El Ingeniero in Chiquimula.

On 11 July, Melvy Lizeth Camey Rojas of the national health workers' union SNTSG was the target of a gunfire attack in which she was critically injured and the lawyer accompanying her, Ricardo Morataya, was killed.

On 11 July, Enrique Linares, leader of the Río Chiquito community in Zacapa, was brutally murdered. Linares had been involved in a long fight against the abuses suffered at the hands of the electricity distribution company DEORSA.

The TUCis deeply concerned that such a wave of violence has been unleashed at the same time as the International Labour Organisation (ILO) is signing an agreement with Guatemala to facilitate ILO working directly with the Public Prosecutor's Office on action to ensure compliance with trade union and labour rights.

The TUC calls on your government and the Public Prosecutor's Office, in collaboration with the CICIG, to fully investigate these incidents, identify those responsible and prosecute them with the full force of the law, in order to break the circle of impunity prevailing in your country.

The TUC will continue to follow the situation in Guatemala closely and support the international campaign to secure justice for our colleagues and other human rights defenders in your country.

Yours sincerely

Brendan Barber

General Secretary

Briefing document (400 words) issued 18 Jul 2012