The Comité Campesino de Desarrollo del Altiplano (CCDA) is an organisation that defend the rights of indigenous communities in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala. The CCDA defends indigenous territory against the imposition of economic projects such as agribusiness. On April 16th the Alta Verapaz Farmers Association (AFAV) issued a public statement on Facebook accusing Lesbia Artola, the director of the CCDA of promoting land occupations and organized crime. This statement also demanded that the government and the army declare a State of Emergency in Alta Verapaz so as to enable the eviction of communities linked to CCDA. The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (OMCT-FIDH), signaled this incident as an act of criminalization and stigmatization and urged the Guatemalan authorities to take the necessary measures to end the escalation of criminalization against CCDA and to ensure the protection of human rights defenders. PBI-Guatemala has previously explained, “[In the Verapaces region] CCDA accompanies more than 150 Maya q’eqchi’ communities who have been repressed and stripped of their land or are immersed in conflicts regarding land tenure. Due to their work, many of their members have faced threats, criminalization processes, kidnappings, and murders.”