Union of Campesino Organisations for the Verapaces (UVOC)

Currently: During March 2007 we accompanied members of the organisation to a roundtable discussion in the Government Palace in Cobán. In addition we have continued accompanying them in Alta Verapaz and Guatemala City.

Background: UVOC is a campesino organisation in the Verapaces (the departments of Alta and Baja Verapaz) andworks principally on access to land for campesinos and to provide support in the process of legalisation of the communities titles to land. The UVOC also offers training for communities affiliated to the UVOC and supports development projects within those communities. Carlos Morales, leader of the UVOC, has been a victim of death threats, acts of intimidation, and persecution by unknown individuals. Due to a serious increase of personal deaththreats at the end of April 2005, which led to a genuine fear for his life, Carlos Morales was forced into hiding inGuatemala City for a month, which was made possible with the support of the Human Rights Ombudsman (PDH). Following this, he requested 24 hour accompaniment from Peace Brigades. In January 2006, Carlos Morales was victim of surveillance on the block where he lives with his family. The offices and personnel of the UVOC continueto be under surveillance from unknown persons. The situation in some communities affiliated to the UVOC continues to be delicate: in February and April 2006, the campesino families that live in the Mocca Estate wereviolently evicted, leaving several people with gunshot wounds. In the month of July there was a confrontation between two groups of campesinos leaving casualties of one dead and 39 injured on the side of the evictedcampesinos.