Democratic governance and indigenous peoples in Guatemala

That this House is very concerned about threats facing democratic governance and Indigenous leaders in Guatemala; is alarmed that the unexpected but emphatic electoral win of anti-corruption candidate Bernardo Arevalo and his party Movimiento Semilla is being challenged by apparently politically motivated prosecutions and that largely peaceful pro-democracy protests are reportedly being attacked; notes that an Independent Delegation of International Human Rights Lawyers on a fact-finding mission in March concluded that structural reform is needed to address the systemic discrimination and widespread human rights violations against Indigenous peoples, almost half of Guatemala’s population, and that extractive industries and agribusiness are causing environmental and other harms undermining Indigenous rights; calls on the Guatemalan Government to comply with the resolution of the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights of 24 August and provide enhanced protection for Bernardo Arevalo and his Vice-President; asks that it provide greater protection to Indigenous leaders, who face continual police and judicial harassment, stigmatisation, and physical threats; and further calls on the Government to impose sanctions on Guatemalans accused of undermining democracy and press freedom, as the US has done, and to advocate for the inclusion of Indigenous peoples from throughout the world, who are in the frontline of the battle against climate change, at relevant fora, including the upcoming COP 28 in the UAE.