The Human Rights Defenders Protection Unit (UDEFEGUA)

The Human Rights Defenders Protection Unit (UDEFEGUA) was founded in 2004 with the objective of promoting the security of human rights defenders in Guatemala and to contribute to the protection of the political space in which they work. The Unit’s programmes support threatened human rights defenders and their organisations, and advise them about prevention
and response to threats and attacks, through the provision of information, training, monitoring and psychological support. In addition,UDEFEGUA promotes the protection of these people on the part of government institutions and the international community.

Currently: On the morning of 5 March, several men broke into the home of Erenia Vanegas, a UDEFEGUA investigator, when no-one was at home. Eyewitnesses said they saw a young man calling at the door. Neighbours told him nobody was home, and later several men arrived in a black vehicle with tinted windows. They entered the home with ease, and five minutes later they came back out and drove away. Towards midday, Erenia Vanegas’ daughter returned and, on seeing the open door, decided not to enter. Instead she asked the neighbours what had happened and they relayed to her what had taken place that morning. When the members of the Public Prosecutor’s Human Rights Unit arrived, it was confirmed that the men had forced the locks and smashed one of the windows. They had looked through the wardrobes and a box of documents, but taken nothing with them.
One month earlier (2 February), Claudia Samayoa, UDEFEGUA’s coordinator, was also the target of intimidatory acts. Her vehicle was tampered with; oil was put underneath the driver’s floor-mat. The oil reached the pedals, rendering them slippery and making the moving vehicle difficult to control. This event took place on the same day as the meeting of the Institute for the Analysis of Attacks against Human Rights Defenders.

Background: For many years PBI has maintained a close collaborative relationship with UDEFEGUA, and in 2007 provided the Unit with international accompaniment following an episode of threats.Accompaniment began again in May 2009, after several UDEFEGUA workers, among them Erenia Vanegas and Claudia Samayoa, received death threats via text messages on their mobile telephones. The messages refered to the work of the organisation in promoting human rights and seeking justice.