Fidel López, member of CODECA in Morales Izabal was murdered
By: Entremundos
On June 23th, Fidel López was assasinated, he was 55 years old, born in the community San Vicente de Paul, Morales Izabal and member of CODECA Peasant Development Committee. Several bullet wounds shot by a man from a motorcycle killed him. The murder occurred at four in the afternoon, when Lopez was in a store in his town.
Fidel López was an active member of CODECA, community defender and his community president. He fought for land access, defense of the territory and for the good living of the peoples through the process of the Popular and Plurinational Constituent Assembly. It’s not the first murder against members of this organization throughout this year. On march 7th, unknown individuals finished with Dominga Ramos’ life, wife of Miguel Ixcal, (both, members of CODECA) while she was in her house with her daughter-in-law in Las Delicias community, Santo Domingo Suchitepéquez.
Previously, Ángel Leonel Guzmán Matías, another member and activist from CODECA in Morales Izabal, died in November of last year when unknown individuals shot him from a vehicle, while he passed across a road in the mentioned municipality. Guzmán had had a tireless fight for the access to land in his community. He was the tenth murdered leader of this organization in 2019.
Just as CODECA, other social organizations that make direct pressure on companies and governments, have had severe retaliation in the recent years, especially on issues such as the fight for land, hydroelectric plants, mining and monocultures. As a means of communication promoting the defense of human rights, Entremundos stands in solidarity with these organizations and commits to support the dissemination of complaints and demands from the civil society organization and citizens in general related to the protection of their human rights.
