Rustbelt TV: Repression at anti-CAFTA protests in Guatemala
by matt t, rustbelt radio
Wednesday, Mar. 23, 2005 at 8:20 PM
mtoups@indymedia.org
This story aired on Monday, March 21 on Rustbelt Radio, Pittsburgh Indymedia's weekly radio program. The show is also videotaped, edited, and aired on PCTV Channel 21 on cable in the Pittsburgh area.
This video segment below is taken from that program. Photographs are from http://chiapas.indymedia.org
poligrito.jpg, image/jpeg, 500x307
Repression at anti-CAFTA protests in Guatemala
On Tuesday, March 8 the government of Guatemala began the process of ratifying the US-Central American Free Trade Agreement, or CAFTA. Guatemalan popular organizations managed to delay a vote with large protests. The organizations, which included farmers, indigenous communities, students, and teachers, say CAFTA will destroy their livelihood. They took to the streets again to prevent the Congress from voting only for the business interests. This time, the police responded with force.
According to reports from Guatemalan organizations and Amnesty International, after CAFTA was ratified by the Guatemalan Congress on March 14, tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets. Police used tear gas and a water cannon to disperse them. Nineteen people were injured and 16 were detained. The next day, Guatemalan army forces fired on protesters in the western city of Huehuetenango, killing two people, Juan López and José Sanchez Gómez, and injuring many more. The civil-society organizations representing the protestors have called for additional demonstrations throughout the country. Many fear that the government will engage in more violence to repress the popular rejection of CAFTA. The Guatemalan popular movement is calling on international solidarity to denounce these actions and pressure the government for an end to violence.
In addition to violence against protestors, Amnesty International issued an Urgent Action Appeal on Friday on behalf of journalists in Guatemala that have received death threats for reporting on the anti-CAFTA demonstrations. The threats and intimidation directed towards Journalists Marielos Monzon and Gabriel Mazzarovich are part of what appears to be an effort to force them to stop reporting on the demonstrations.
stopcafta.org
NO to CAFTA in Guatemala
by matt t, rustbelt radio
Wednesday, Mar. 23, 2005 at 8:20 PM
mtoups@indymedia.org
tlcbandera.jpg, image/jpeg, 400x568
stopcafta.org
Rustbelt TV segment on Guatemala CAFTA protests
by matt t, rustbelt radio
Wednesday, Mar. 23, 2005 at 8:20 PM
mtoups@indymedia.org
video: 
AVI at 2.9 mebibytesvideo: AVI at 2.9 mebibytes
This is the video from Rustbelt Radio, Pittsburgh IMC.
Length: 1:45
Audio codec: mp3
Video codec: mpeg4
encoded with mencoder (http://mplayerhq.hu)
stopcafta.org
![[masthead]](/images/masthead_140.png)