Crisanto Garcia Guajaca

Crisanto García (58) was shot in the late afternoon of 29th of March 2018, while praying for his and his family’s safety in the El Pinalito church in Morola, Camotán, Chiquimula.

Crisanto dedicated over 30 years of his life to farming .Garcia was the uncle of a prominent social leader and head of Coordinadora de Comunidades y Asociaciones por el Desarrollo Integral del Pueblo Ch’orti’ (COMUNDICH), a grassroots organisation that supports Mayan Ch’orti’ people in their legal battles with businesses and multinational companies that seek to evict them from their ancestral lands. It is suspected that the murder was linked to his relative’s work with the indigenous communities. It was reported that two days after the attack, Crisanto’s uncle, Eugenio Ohajaca, also received threats.

The identity of perpetrators as well as the cause of this murder still remains unknown, however according to the local community, there is a group of criminals and gunmen spreading fear in the region and the inhabitants demand that this shooting be investigated.


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Region:Americas

Country:Guatemala

Department/Province/State:Chiquimula

Sex1:Male

Age:58

Date of Killing:01/01/1970

Type of Work:Farmer

Organisation:Coordinadora de Comunidades y Asociaciones por el Desarrollo Integral del Pueblo Ch'orti' (COMUNDICH)

Sector or Type of Rights the HRD Worked On:Civil and Political Rights, ESC Rights

Sector Detail:Indigenous Peoples' Rights, Land Rights

More information:Human Rights Defenders

1This database records an individual's chosen gender identity. If they do not self-identify as male or female they can use the option of recording other/neither or use the term NBGI (non binary gender identity).