Justice for Genocide campaign: Presentation to the AJR

This past spring, thousands of you participated in our international "Justice for Genocide" photo and pledge campaign in support of the brave survivors of the Association for Justice and Reconciliation (AJR).

NISGUA staff recently shared your photos and messages with the members of the AJR during their national assembly, in which participants from dozens of rural communities gathered to celebrate the victories of this past year and look to the road ahead.

Our display of over 200 pictures and messages of solidarity was enthusiastically received, with hundreds filing past the photos to see the messages sent from across the world.

Photos from the campaign lined the hall in which the AJR held their conference, representing the international network of supporters who stand with the survivors.

Witnesses and survivors with decades of experience receiving international human rights accompaniment searched the photos to find familiar faces, sharing stories and memories of the hundreds of volunteers who have visited their communities over the years.

Leaders from the organization thanked the international network for their ongoing solidarity and asked international observers on the ground in Guatemala and abroad to remain committed and attentive to the work of the AJR as they continue forward in the ongoing search for justice.

As plaintiffs in the historic Guatemalan genocide trial, the AJR has been at the forefront of the fight to achieve justice for crimes committed over 30 years ago. 13 years after their first complaint was filed before the Guatemalan courts, the AJR succeeded in obtaining a conviction against former dictator Efraín Ríos Montt in April of this year. The historic sentence of genocide dictated by the court highlights the eyewitness accounts the AJR has personally shared with international accompaniers for decades and now stands as testimony to the years of struggle undertaken by the organization.

In addition to the 215 photos and 1,767 pledges we gathered during our Justice for Genocide campaign, we also shared the results of our broader media work, which included:

• Over 40 articles, interviews and press releases
• Over 1,500 Tweets during our live English language coverage from inside the courtroom
• Nearly 30,000 visits to our blog and website during the trial
• Speaking events with the Association for Justice and Reconciliations in New York City and Washington, D.C.

NISGUA has provided human rights accompaniment to the witness organization, the Association for Justice and Reconciliation, and their lawyers, the Center for Human Rights Legal Action since 2000. Applications to become a human rights observer with NISGUA are now being accepted, learn more here.

Read "Letters for Justice" to find out more about NISGUA's more than 13 years of accompaniment to the AJR. To receive ongoing updates, follow our Twitter feed @NISGUA_Guate, like our Facebook page and sign up for email updates.