But interpreting genocide as a matter exclusively of the past by not considering its footprint will only conceal the current crimes, which continue a long story of abuses.

Unfortunately, the press releases of the social organizations are more common each day. At the end of last week the Front of Resistance in Defense of Natural Resources of Malacatan (FRENA) reported the murder of leader Octavio Roblero, member of the organization and opposer to the installation of a hydroelectric dam in the south west of San Marcos department.

Roblero was murdered in plain sight last Wednesday by an unknown, while he was working in the market. His brother in law, Victor Galvez was murdered in November of 2009 and ever since Roblero had been exposing the impunity of the crime through street demonstrations and songs he would write for his music band.

Facing this new violent incident, the Guatemalan organizations expressed once again their condemnation to the “persecution, criminalization and repression” made by “parallel groups” that defend the interests of the national oligarchy.
“Since the beginning, the struggles to defend life have been tainted with blood in the mining activity”, says one of the articles that circulated on the Internet.

The Central Trade Union of the Americas (CSA) submitted the report “Guatemala, the cost of trade union freedom”, exposing the daily violence suffered by the workers of organizations, especially from the Trade Union, Indigenous and Peasant Movement of Guatemala (MSICG).

The international central sent a letter to the Guatemalan authorities to complain about these attempts against the trade unions and to ask for a clarification of the murders, most of them preceded by death threats.

Meanwhile, but still linked to the abuses of extractive industries, a few days ago Guatemalan newspaper Prensa Libre published that the health authorities of Guatemala ordered an investigation to determine whether the skin problems affecting three communities in San Marcos are linked with the mining activity. One of the companies under scrutiny is Montana Exploradora, owner of Marlin mine, which operates in that region of the country.