New Human Rights Commissioner Offers Hope for Guatemalans

The following post was written by Will Russell, of the Unitarian Universalist Church in Arlington, Va. Russell writes from Guatemala, where he is participating in a UUSC JustJourney.

In Guatemala City, we visited the Presidential Commission on Human Rights (COPREDEH) [site in Spanish], where we met with Maria Jose Briz, the newly appointed head of office. She is responsible for, among other things, submitting human-rights reports to international organizations.

According to Briz, the commission serves as the human rights monitoring body within the state, educates government officials on human rights, investigates violations of human rights (e.g., against human rights defenders), and takes key cases forward to the Inter-American Human Rights Court.

The commission also follows up to ensure that government offices comply with their human rights responsibilities. Another area for the commission is insuring against economic exclusion because of gender or ethnicity.

Briz told us that the commission receives varying cooperation from government departments, but that they are moving forward with a national plan for human rights. Once it is coordinated, they believe it will serve as a basis for significant improvements in the country.

They now have a staff of 65 people, but there is a proposal to combine the organization with the Peace Secretary [site in Spanish], which would increase its size significantly.

Briz also told us the commission is concerned about violent human-rights abuses directed at women and children, who are particularly vulnerable to abuse. The commission itself has has been the target of threats: while she, herself, hasn't received any threats, the commission received a bomb threat on her first day at work.

She said that with the recent selection of Ruth de Valle as head of the commission, she anticipates starting consultations with other organizations. In her view, this appointment is cause for hope.