Bernardo Caal Xol Explained

Bernardo Caal Xol
Birth Date:	^[1]
Birth Place:	Santa María Cahabón, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala
Occupation:	Activist

Bernardo Caal Xol (born in 1972)^[1] is a Guatemalan former teacher and human rights activist.^{[1] [2]}

Life and activism

Caal was a school teacher, but became one of the leaders of the movement to defend water resources of his community; he denounced alleged irregularities in the operation of mining companies in his native Alta Verapaz.^{[2] [3]}

In 2017, Caal was imprisoned for an alleged crime of theft of construction equipment and the illegal retention of four workers from a construction company. He was sentenced in 2018 to 7 years in prison. In 2020, Amnesty International declared him a "prisoner of conscience", considering that the charges against him were retaliation for his activism.^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]}

In March 2022, Caal was released on good behavior.^[5]

See also

• Human rights in Guatemala

Notes and References

1. Web site: Bernardo Caal: tres años encarcelado por defender el medio ambiente. 2022-03-31. Alianza por la Solidaridad. es.
2. Web site: La defensa de un río sagrado que llevó a un profesor maya a la cárcel en Guatemala. 2022-03-31. BBC. es.
3. Web site: Bernardo Caal Xol: el maestro preso que enfrentó a la hidroeléctrica Oxec. 2022-03-31. Plaza Pública. es.
4. Web site: Amnesty International. Bernardo Caal Xol. 31 March 2022.
5. Web site: Amnesty International. Bernardo Caal Xol. 31 March 2022.