Mario Polanco
Encyclopedia
Mario Polanco is a Guatemala
n human rights
activist. He is a founding member and, currently the Director of, the Grupo de Apoyo Mutuo (Mutual Support Group, or GAM) in Guatemala City
, one of the country's oldest human rights organizations. He is married to Member of Congress
Nineth Montenegro
. Polanco has been the victim of numerous death threat
s and attacks on his life.
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
n human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
activist. He is a founding member and, currently the Director of, the Grupo de Apoyo Mutuo (Mutual Support Group, or GAM) in Guatemala City
Guatemala City
Guatemala City , is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Guatemala and Central America...
, one of the country's oldest human rights organizations. He is married to Member of Congress
Congress of Guatemala
The Congress of the Republic is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of Guatemala.It comprises 158 deputies, who are elected by direct universal suffrage to serve four-year terms . Twenty-nine of these are elected from nationwide lists, with the rest on a district list basis...
Nineth Montenegro
Nineth Montenegro
Nineth Varenca Montenegro Cottom is a Guatemalan human rights activist and Congressional representative. Her first husband, union leader and activist Fernando García, was abducted by government security agents on 18 February 1984....
. Polanco has been the victim of numerous death threat
Death threat
A death threat is a threat of death, often made anonymously, by one person or a group of people to kill another person or groups of people. These threats are usually designed to intimidate victims in order to manipulate their behavior, thus a death threat is a form of coercion...
s and attacks on his life.