RED POR LA PAZ Y EL DESARROLLO DE GUATEMALA
P.O. Box 706 Bellaire, TX 77402comunicacionrpdg@gmail.com
Guatemala Peace and Development Network
Open Letter to President Obama regarding
the political crisis in Guatemala
Guatemala and Its Diaspora, August 27
2015
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20500
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20500
Distinguished President Obama,
The Guatemala Peace and Development Network (GPDN/RPDG)
and other colleagues, have addressed you in the past to advocate for a
Temporary Protected Status for Guatemalans (TPS), to present concerns about
human rights issues affecting Guatemala, and most recently for the protection
of our youth and children who have reached the US-MEXICO border in large
numbers in the past two years, often after overcoming very significant
challenges in their journey to the United States.
We are frustrated and disappointed that your
administration has not paid enough attention to our appeals, once
again this time we request that your administration grants Guatemalans living
in the United States a Temporary Protected Status (TPS) due to
the current political crisis in Guatemala; we remind you that TPS status has
been granted to nationals of El Salvador, Honduras & Nicaragua in the past
for the same reason we are requesting it today.
The United States Government runs the risk once again of
siding with the wrong side of the struggle for democracy in Guatemala by
delaying the resignation of President Otto Pérez Molina. History can’t be
repeated again because policies implemented by the United States during the
Eisenhower administration were responsible for the overthrow of democratically
elected President Jacobo Árbenz in 1954 terminating our “Democratic Spring”
which resulted in constant repression, human rights violations against the
people of Guatemala from 1954 up to this time, and the migration of more than a
million Guatemalans. In all these years –more than 60 years—successive U.S.
administrations have been supporting the very rich, the armed forces, and right
wing parties, despite President Clinton’s apology to the Guatemalan people in
1998 for wrong U.S. policies in the past.
We celebrated in December of 1996 the signing of the
Peace Accords that ended the internal armed conflict which resulted in more
than 200,000 deaths and 45,000 forced disappearances but the people of
Guatemala have witnessed noncompliance by the Guatemalan government for the
accords signed.
Today, again Guatemalans believe the U.S. Embassy –most
likely with the support from the State Department—, some members of the private
sector CACIF —some also under investigation for theft— and the Guatemalan Army;
are impeding the fall of Otto Pérez as Head of State against the will of
hundreds of thousands of citizens on the streets and thousands of organizations
in Guatemala and elsewhere. Mr. Pérez claims to have the personal support of a
U.S. Under-Secretary of State he does not name, and he continues getting
support from Mr. Todd Robinson, the Ambassador, who recently expressed
opposition to the continuation of Vice President Roxana Baldetti for the very
same crimes Mr. Pérez is being accused of. We want you, Mr. Obama, to explain
U.S. policy. We do not want to see the United States again on the wrong side of
history in Guatemala.
Investigations into
corruption in Guatemala have been expanded to the highest levels of government
as President Otto Pérez Molina and his former Vice President Roxana Baldetti
were named last week as the head of "La Linea," a criminal structure
that has been stealing an unknown amount -- but what could amount to hundreds
of millions of dollars -- from the State. Baldetti, who resigned on May 8,
is in police custody, and will face prosecution for criminal conspiracy,
customs fraud and accepting bribes. Guatemala's top court also approved a process to repeal the
president's immunity from prosecution, and the matter now awaits a decision
from the congress,
ffurthermore, in a recent report, the United
Nations-backed Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), found that on average,
50 percent of money in Guatemalan politics comes from corruption and 25 percent
directly from organized crime.
Mr. President, we are not asking for an act of
intervention from your administration; what we precisely urge you is not to
intervene on behalf of a very weak government, as your officials in Guatemala
are doing, let it fall as the people demand, and many of the problems you have
faced in Guatemala –organized crime, violence, undocumented migration—will be
properly confronted.
Many thousands of Guatemalan immigrants in the U.S. are
watching to see what your administration will do, and many will vote according
to whether U.S. policy is enlightened, or whether Washington will continue to
support an unpopular and dubious president in Guatemala.
President Obama, Guatemalans cannot waste any more time.
In Guatemala, we need to start rebuilding state structures and amending or
rewriting crucial laws, including the Constitution. For that, Otto Pérez and
his close officials must resign. We need honest people to urgently assume the
responsibility of responding to the claims of the Guatemala people. History is
still asking the United States to act properly and take the moral decision in
Guatemala; we believe you owe it to the Guatemalan people.
Sincerely,
RPDG’s Executive Committee
CC.: Jeh Johnson
Secretary
Homeland Security Department
Co-signers to the
letter
# Name Country
1 Thelma Porres Morfin
Guatemala
2 Ana Molina Theissen
Guatemala
3 Annabella Jimenez
Canada
4 Marilyn Borchardt
United States of America
5 Tristan
Quinn-Thibodeau United States of America
6 Karin Slowing
Guatemala
7 Lisa G. United
States of America
8 Colin Murphy United
States of America
9 Pat Davis United
States of America
10 María Luisa Rosal
Guatemala
11 Roxana Hernández-Bargueño Other
12 Raul Molina Mejia
United States of America
13 Edi Lopez Guatemala
14 Marito Avila United
States of America
15 Paul McKay United
States of America
16 Iduvina Hernandez
Batres Guatemala
17 Leonor Hurtado
United States of America
18 Felipe Velásquez Solórzano Mexico
19 Gabriela Dieguez
United States of America
20 Manuel Valle
Guatemala
21 Claudia Correia
United Kingdom
22 Josué Revolorio Illescas
Guatemala
23 Francisco J
Enriquez United States of America
24 Flor Aguilar United
States of America
25 Jamileth Chavarria
Austria
26 Lynn Hutchinson Lee
Canada
27 Karla Lottini
Mexico
29 Beatriz Barrera
Argentina
30 Simone Adler United
States of America
31 Julie Jean Costa
Rica
32 Pilar Font
Guatemala
33 Keyner Gómez Guatemala
34 luis armando ruiz
Guatemala
35 Kayla
Kidwell-Snider United States of America
36 Rocío Ramírez Mexico
37 Tanya Kerssen
United States of America
38 Jorge Chaconi
Guatemala
39 J J Guatemala
40 Scott Woods United
States of America
41 Alvaro Montenegro
Guatemala
42 Beatriz Estrada
Guatemala
43 Erick Coyoy
Echeverria Guatemala
44 Margarita Portillo
Hernández United States of America
45 adrian United
States of America
46 Helvi Mendizabal
Guatemala
47 Jorge Alfaro
Guatemala
48 Nelton Rivera González Guatemala
49 Juanita Cabrera
Lopez Guatemala
50 Blanca Vargas de
Rosal United States of America
51 Juan Ozaeta
Guatemala
52 Lu Cía M Guatemala
53 lucrecia Guatemala
54 Juan Carlos
Pellecer Guatemala
55 Rafael Bagur
castillo Guatemala
56 beverly bell United
States of America
57 Florazzuly Robles
Guatemala
58 Diane Haines United
States of America
59 Leonel Aguilera DÌAZ Indonesia
60 Aura Lolita Chávez Ixcaquic Guatemala
61 Ovidio López Julián Guatemala
62 Aida Ramirez
Guatemala
63 elvin bardos
Guatemala
64 Antonio Portillo
Canada
65 maria rivera United
States of America
66 victor hugo
Australia
67 Jc Guat Canada
68 Olivier Mazéas France
69 Jesus Guatemala
70 Ivan Zimbabwe
71 Azalea Vasquez
United States of America
72 Israel Hernandez
Guatemala
73 Ernesto Chévez Orellana Guatemala
74 Luis Fernando
Delgado Guatemala
75 Efra Gonzalez
Guatemala
76 Jose Andrés Quezada Guatemala
77 Lucrecia Sosa
Guatemala
78 José Manuel Bargueñó Spain
79 Carmina United
States of America
80 Lizeth Del Cid
United States of America
81 Julio Guatemala
82 Ana Silvia Monzón Guatemala
83 gerardo valdizan
Guatemala
84 María Olga Guatemala
85 Walter United
States of America
86 marco antonio
ovalle menard Guatemala
87 David Fuentes
Guatemala
88 Felix Guatemala
89 Violeta Pac
Guatemala
90 Andrea Mendizabal
Guatemala
91 ana cristina
calderon Guatemala
92 Umita Castellanos
Guatemala
93 Edgar möller United States of
America
94 Benito Juatez
United States of America
95 Caballero Jinete
United States of America
96 Mireya United
States of America
97 Rafael Ramazzini
Guatemala
98 Sonia Bendfeldt
Guatemala
99 Lucrecia Mazariegos
Guatemala
100 Verónica Aguilar Guatemala
101 Sergio Ichaj
United States of America
102 Luis Fernando
Rosal Lopez Guatemala
103 Juan Hernandez
Guatemala
104 Delia United
States of America
105 Christiane Dechert
United States of America
106 Erwin Rivera
Guatemala
107 Erick United
States of America
108 Alexander Son
Guatemala
109 Paula Sanchez
Australia
110 Mireya Muralles
United States of America
111 Ana B. Halliday
Guatemala
112 Taty Paz United
States of America
113 Benito Juarez
United States of America
114 Juan José Paz Guatemala
115 Maria Rodríguez Guatemala
116 Guisela Garcia
Guatemala
117 Chris Phillips
United States of America
118 Josefina Gomez
United States of America
119 teresa hendricks
United States of America
120 julie edwards
United States of America
121 Eduardo Del Pinal
Guatemala
122 Allie Hendricks
United States of America
123 Emily Thomas
United States of America
124 Elizandro Gomez
United States of America
125 Alexandra de
Gonzalez Guatemala
126 Zoila Castellanos
Canada
127 Estuardo Moran
Guatemala
128 Teresa I Morales
United States of America
129 Mario United
States of America
130 maribel zacarias
United States of America
131 William Rico
United States of America
132 Jorge Bethancourt
United States of America
133 mary mckay United
States of America
134 A Toledo United
States of America
135 Jorge Rodriguez
Guatemala
136 Leslie Figueroa Guatemala
137 Alex Chajon
Guatemala
138 angel juarez
Guatemala
139 Helena United
States of America
140 Vivian R Torres
United States of America
141 Brenda Dehmer
United States of America
142 Alison Snow United
States of America
143 Jorge Rosal United
States of America
144 Federico
Rosales-Arzú Guatemala
145 Jorge Guatemala
146 Gladys Recinos
United States of America
147 mario medina
Guatemala
148 Favio Reyna
Guatemala
149 Sebastian
Guatemala
150 Verónica Ordoñez Guatemala
151 Verenisse Arango
Guatemala
152 edwing gomez
United States of America
153 Laura Peña Brazil
154 lisa siguenza
Guatemala
155 Gerardo palomo
Guatemala
156 Jorge Winter
United States of America
157 Edgar Aguilar
Guatemala
158 Lilian Merlo
Guatemala
159 edin United States
of America
160 César Ochoa Guatemala
161 Julio Coronado
Guatemala
162 Carlos Ixquiac
United States of America
163 Miguel Ángel Cáceres Hernández United States of
America
164 Ilmer United
States of America
165 Huber Gamboa
Guatemala
166 johnatan Guatemala
167 Edvin Gutierrez
United States of America
168 Jose lopez
Guatemala
169 Edgar sosa
Guatemala
170 VERONICA Guatemala
171 Judy Mahaffey
United States of America
172 Marco Antonio
Colomo Guatemala
173 Mariano Galvez
United States of America
174 Erick Valdez
United States of America
175 Benito Juarez
United States of America
176 Josefina Gomez
United States of America
177 Carlos Gomez
United States of America
178 Marcelino Vasquez
United States of America
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