CUPE is calling on the Guatemalan government to immediately release and ensure the safety of human rights defender Leocadio Juracan.
Brother Leocadio is the Agrarian Reform Coordinator of the Campesino Committee of the Highlands (CCDA) – a movement for social justice that is active in over 70 communities in Guatemala. He is a close partner of our union and a steadfast ally in our work to advance human rights around the globe.
He was arrested on August 13, at the La Aurora Airport while on his way to a Translocal Social Movement learning conference in South Africa.
“His allies and friends around the world are fearful for his safety. I call for his immediate release, and for assurance of his protection. I also call on your government to take measures to implement the recommendations of the former UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous peoples in relation to access to justice for, and protection of, Indigenous defenders,” says CUPE National President Mark Hancock in a letter to the Guatemalan goverment.
Read the full letter here.