Welcome, everybody, to our study on women human rights defenders.
We will have interpretation today in three languages, Spanish, French and English, and there will be a bit of a delay when you speak, so give the witnesses a bit of time.
Also, one of our witnesses, Ana Quirós, is going to be here by teleconference, not by video conference. Just be aware when you're asking the questions that even though you can't see her, she is on the line. Let's be sure to ask questions of her as well.
Today we're focused on Latin America and Central America. We have with us Lolita Chavez by video conference. She's a leader of the Council of K'iche Peoples for the Defense of Life, Mother Nature, Land and Territory, of Guatemala. She was granted precautionary measures by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in 2005, but is still targeted with threats, intimidation and harassment. On multiple occasions she has had to leave Guatemala for her own security. She has received assistance from a Basque program for the temporary protection of human rights defenders.
We also have with us Ana Quirós, the executive director of the Centre for Health Information and Advisory Services, a Nicaraguan NGO. She is a Costa Rican and Nicaraguan citizen, but has worked for the past 40 years in Nicaragua, where she promotes socio-cultural rights, healthy recreation and the human rights of teenagers, youth, mothers and fathers. Her NGO was one of those deregistered in 2018. She was deported from Nicaragua in November 2018 without due process.
As we know, today's focus is not on the subject area the human rights defenders are working on, but ron what has happened to these human rights defenders because they are women.
We will start with 10 minutes for each of the witnesses and then open this up to questions.
Ms. Chavez, I will turn it over to you for your opening statement.