Press Release

Press Conference: Former Guatemalan Human Rights Ombudsman to speak in Chicago about the democratic and human rights crisis in the country

May 28, 2024
Press Release

Press Conference: Former Guatemalan Human Rights Ombudsman to speak in Chicago about the democratic and human rights crisis in the country

**PRESS ADVISORY**

WHAT: Alianza Americas, Centro Romero, and Chicago Religious Leadership Network on Latin America (CRLN) will hold a press conference in Chicago, IL., with Jordán Rodas, former Human Rights Ombudsman in Guatemala, who will give a first-hand account of the deep-rooted democratic and human rights crisis in the Central American country, which continues to condemn its people to leave the country in search of protection.

The press conference is part of the Dialogues on Human Rights in Guatemala tour, which Alianza Americas is organizing with several of its member organizations. The tour will take former Attorney General Rodas to Washington D.C., New Jersey, New York and Chicago from July 24-31.

WHO:

  • Jordán Rodas, former Human Rights Ombudsman in Guatemala (2017-2020).
  • Hazel Contreras, Central America Coordinator, Alianza Americas.
  • Alderman Andre Vasquez, Chicago 40th Ward.
  • Chicago Religious Leadership Network on Latin America.
  • Diego Samayoa, Centro Romero.

WHERE:

Center Romero’s Office. 6216 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60660. Virtual: Please confirm your attendance in person by registering here: https://bit.ly/47asqOO

Whether you are attending in person or virtually, please make sure to register. If you are attending in person, please make sure to bring headphones for the interpretation.

Live streaming on Centro Romero´s Facebook page.

WHEN: July 31, 2023 at 10:00 am CT.

Panelists will speak Spanish. The event will have simultaneous interpretation from Spanish into English.

CHICAGO — Alianza Americas — a multicultural and multiethnic network of 57 civil society organizations in the United States, led by migrants from Latin America and the Caribbean — will lead a tour called Dialogues on Human Rights in Guatemala, which will feature Jordán Rodas, former Human Rights Ombudsman in Guatemala (2017-2020). Also joining some of the events as part of the tour are Thelma Aldana, former Attorney General of Guatemala (2014-2018), and Juan Francisco Sandoval, former Special Prosecutor against Impunity in Guatemala (2015-2021). Rodas, Aldana, and Sandoval live in exile as a result of their work and they will provide first-hand testimony of the democratic and human rights crisis that the country has been experiencing for several years.

The tour will include press conferences and community events and legislative meetings in Washington D.C., Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Chicago, and is organized by Alianza’s member organizations Centro Romero, Chicago Religious Leadership Network (CRLN), Guatemalans Without Borders, Children of Livingston and Wind of the Spirit.

The tour seeks to highlight the urgent need to understand the conditions that force people to leave Guatemala and the reasons why people are unable to return to the country. It will also be an educational and informative tour, which in addition to highlighting the main challenges facing the country, will seek opportunities to encourage the Guatemalan diaspora to advocate for their rights. Participating organizations will also advocate for the urgent need for immigration relief, such as a Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for Guatemalans living in the U.S. in irregular immigration status.

The tour includes press conferences in Washington D.C., New York, and Chicago. For more information on the conferences, contact press@alianzaamericas.org.

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Alianza Americas is the premier transnational advocacy network of Latin American migrant-led organizations working in the United States, across the Americas, and globally to create an inclusive, equitable and sustainable way of life for communities across North, Central and South America.

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