Owen Campbell has spent the past 13 months providing protective accompaniment to some of the most threatened human rights defenders in Guatemala. He will speak at a public forum at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 26 in Ottawa sponsored by CUPE 4600 (Carleton University research and teaching assistants).
Ten years after the signing of the peace accords, Guatemala suffers the same type of conflict and violence that was seen in the war years. In August 2006, Philip Alston, the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, arbitrary detention and torture, blamed the Guatemalan government for doing little to stop this violence.
PBI’s team of 10 full-time volunteers in Guatemala City work with groups fighting against continued repression. They also monitor mining company activity on indigenous land. Indigenous communities were guaranteed consultation through the Guatemalan peace accords. In 2006, PBI released a special report, “Metal Mining and Human Rights in Guatemala”.
Peace Brigades International (PBI), founded in 1981 in Canada, is an international non-governmental organisation inspired by Gandhi and other non-violent movements.
For further information, please contact PBI-Canada at 613-237-6968 or email info@pbicanada.org. For further details about Peace Brigades International visit www.peacebrigades.org or www.pbicanada.org.
Location of public forum: 2203 Dutton Tower, Carleton University, Ottawa.