2/24/08

Guatemala farmers swap cops, talks


Guatemalan farmers from the department of Izabal liberated 29 police officers after the commitment of the local government to listen to their demands.

Hundreds of inhabitants from communities from the Caribbean municipality of Livingston took the police officers hostages Thursday, to demand the freedom of the their leader, Ramiro Choc, and the legalization of the lands they have occupied for more then 10 years.
A mediation group was created, in which representatives of the Interior Minister and the Human Rights Prosecutor Office participated, to solve the conflict.
On Friday night and after 32 hours of the start of negotiations, settlers delivered the agents, and the government acceded to talk about the problems, and study the possibility of releasing Choc.
Popular organizations said the arrest of Choc on February 14, broke the efforts for a dialogue in the region between communities and authorities.
hr/tac/car/mf PL-4

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