Representatives of the 48 cantons of Totonicapán held a peaceful demonstration on Monday, May 5 against the National Palace, the Congress of the Republic and the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ), in the capital, to express its rejection of the Recent capture by Luis Pacheco and Héctor Chaclán, both former members of that organization.
The protesters demanded that the reservation of the case be lifted, since they assured that Pacheco and Chaclán are being criminalized of course terrorism.
“Stop calling us terrorists, stop calling us criminals because the ancestral people are a respectful people,” said Juan Pablo Ajpacajá, current president of the 48 cantons of Totonicapán.
“We are not terrorists; never, in our manifestations, we are wearing weapons or wearing bombs. Never. The only weapon is our rod,” said Leticia Zapeta, vice president of the organization.
The march began at 9.30 am in the Plaza de la Constitución and then moved to Congress and the CSJ.
The leaders indicated that, for now, mass demonstrations are not planned, but will continue to demand that the reserve of the judicial case be lifted.
On April 25, Luis Pacheco and Héctor Chaclán were linked to terrorism and obstacle to criminal action.
Both were indicated by the Public Ministry of five crimes, allegedly related to the demonstrations that were carried out in October 2023 in Guatemala.
On the 29th of the same month, the President of the Republic, Bernardo Arévalo, together with his government cabinet, Vice President Karin Herrera and ancestral indigenous authorities of Guatemala, provided a press conference in relation to the capture of the two former director.
President Bernardo Arévalo said on that occasion that They presented an amparo against the Attorney General, Consuelo Porras, for allegedly criminalizing the indigenous peoples.