“Indigenous human rights defender Julio Gómez Lucas detained”, 28^th January 2020

…Julio Gómez Lucas is a human rights defender, leader of the Maya Chuj community of San Mateo Ixtatán, and member of Resistencia Pacífica de la Microregión de Ixquisis (Peaceful Resistance of the Microregion of Ixquisis), a community movement defending human rights which was formed in response to grave rights violations committed in the name of economic development in Guatemala…

On the afternoon of 26 January 2020, agents of the Specialised Criminal Investigation Division (DEIC) of the National Police detained Julio Gómez Lucas near the entrance to the municipality of Chiantla, department of Huehuetenango. The police followed the truck of the human rights defender before forcing him to stop. They stated that they had heard gunshots in the area and wanted to search his vehicle. He was then detained and transferred to a local DEIC office, without being shown an arrest warrant…

Julio Gómez Lucas has previously been subjected to attacks as a result of his peaceful human rights activities. In February 2019, he and six of his family members were kidnapped and tortured by residents of the neighbouring indigenous community of Tz’ununkab, in retaliation for his opposition to a local hydroelectric project [reference to hydroelectric project implemented by company Energía y Renovación]…