PBI-Mexico accompanies Cerezo Committee and families in the call to find Edmundo Reyes and Gabriel Cruz

4-minute read.

PBI-Mexico has posted: “Yesterday [April 4], we accompanied the families of Edmundo Reyes and Gabriel Cruz together with the @comitecerezo [Cerezo Committee]. We are also working with the Special Search Commission ruled by the SCJN [Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation] in 2022. #PBIaccompanies #Until We Find Them”

PBI-Colombia accompanies the Nydia Erika Bautista Foundation as Comprehensive Law on the Rights of Women Searchers receives Senate approval

On April 4 (at 12:05 pm ET), PBI-Colombia posted: “#Rights For Women Seekers At this moment accompanying the @nydia_erika Foundation in the last Senate debate on the draft Law for the Protection of Women Searchers of the #Disappeared.”

PBI-Guatemala accompanies the Council of Communities of Retalhuleu at World Water Day commemoration

PBI-Guatemala has posted:

“On March 16 #PBI accompanies the Council of Communities of Retalhuleu in the commemoration of #WorldWaterDay in the communities of Champerico.

On March 8, 2024, PBI-accompanied groups around the world mobilized to commemorate International Women’s Day, now in its 114th year. Women human rights defenders advocate and lobby for human rights within their community and are not only targeted for their activism, but also face gender-specific rights violations. At Peace Brigades International, we stand alongside these women, supporting them to continue their vital work even amidst repression and violence.

Around the world, human rights defenders are winning their struggles for justice and rights - for them, and their communities. We take a quick look at six examples from the year so far.

PBI calls for respect for international law, protection of human rights defenders and an immediate cease-fire

Peace Brigades International (PBI), an organization that seeks to create space for peace and participate in the protection of human rights, shares the words of the UN Secretary General that “only a negotiated peace that satisfies the legitimate national aspirations of Palestinians and Israelis alike … can bring long-term stability to the people of this land and the broader Middle East region.“

Spanish RTVE radio-television recently interviewed Donald Hernández, the executive director of CEHPRODEC.

Below is an excerpt from that full interview.

QUESTION: Have you ever suffered threats?

A closer look at what a new presidency might mean for Indigenous human rights defenders

By Christina Challis, PBI UK Advocacy Officer

As the New Year rang in, the world awaited the successful transfer of power to anti-corruption President-elect Bernardo Arévalo, following death threats and smear campaigns against him in an attempt to delegitimize his election win, amidst growing fears about the fragile state of democracy in Guatemala.

PBI-Honduras observes trial of student activist accused of arson at US Embassy during national strike protests

On January 26, PBI-Honduras posted:

“We observe the trial of Henry Bonilla [Acevedo] for the burning of [tires in front of] the US embassy in a protest on [May 31^st, 2019]. The @defencofadeh [Committee of Relatives of the Detained and Disappeared in Honduras/COFADEH] denounces the criminalization of the national strike. We highlight the work of the #DDHH [human rights] of COFADEH and their work to respect the right to demonstrate.”

The Peace Brigades International-Guatemala Project is seeking field volunteers to accompany human rights defenders.

The deadline to apply is January 7, 2024.

The training and final selection week will then take place from May 19-25 in Spain.

Requirements to apply include: a good level of Spanish – spoken, written and reading; ability to commit to a minimum of 12 months’ work in the field; experience of teamwork and group living, especially in high-stress situations; and minimum age of 22 years.