A Question of Justice
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Guatemala Human Rights Commission/USA El Quetzal A Quarterly Publication Issue #11 GHRC February 2012 A Question of Justice Photo: Elperiodico.com Photo: Hundreds gather during the trial of former dictator Efraín Ríos Montt, who was formally charged with genocide in January. The election of Otto Pérez Molina, a for- Only time will tell if Otto Pérez Molina is ror, pain, and agony was unleashed upon mer military general accused of crimes any more successful than the last presi- the civilian, mostly indigenous, popula- against humanity, to the Presidency of dent who came to power using the ―mano tion. Hundreds of thousands of innocent Guatemala raises a number of significant dura‖ rhetoric: Alfonso Portillo of Ríos men, women, and children suffered rape, questions. One of these questions, how- Montt’s FRG party. Not only did Portillo torture, forced disappearance, massacres, ever, stands out from all of the others fail to curb the increasing crime rates assassinations and other heinous crimes because it speaks to Guatemala’s nefari- during his four years as president, he now at the hands of the Guatemalan military ous past, uncertain present, and fragile sits in a Guatemalan jail awaiting extradi- and paramilitary forces. hopes for the future: tion to the US on money laundering charges. For many years the dominant culture of What will justice look like during the impunity denied victims and their fami- next four years? The Wheels of Justice lies access to justice. Those responsible for planning and carrying out these hei- Pérez Molina, founder of the right-wing Guatemala’s recent history is tainted by nous crimes against humanity rested eas- Patriot Party, centered his presidential some of the cruelest, most brutal and hor- ily in the knowledge that the Guatemalan campaign on the promise of ―la mano rific acts of violence ever committed. The justice system was broken and incapable dura,‖ an ―iron fist‖ approach to fighting internal armed conflict (1960 -1996) was crime. the stage upon which unimaginable ter- Continued on Page 4 IN THIS ISSUE Increased Attacks on Human Rights Defenders..….3 Pérez Molina’s Cabinet Appointments……..……....8 Ríos Montt Charged with Genocide……..….....5 Voiceless Speak Recipient Marvyn Pérez...………...10 GHRC Sends Letter to Pérez Molina..……..….……7 Photo Essay on Commemoration of Dos Erres……..12 3321 12th Street NE Washington, DC 20017-4008 Tel: (202) 529-6599 www.ghrc-usa.org Page 1 The Guatemala Human Rights Commission/USA GHRC Mission Letter from New Development and Advocacy Founded in 1982, the Guate- Coordinator, Kathryn Johnson mala Human Rights Commis- sion/USA (GHRC) is a non- I went to Guatemala to learn in Guatemala when so profit, nonpartisan, humani- Spanish. I had heard that many problems stemmed tarian organization that there were inexpensive from the US. So I came monitors, documents, and schools in Xela and after a back; sad to say goodbye to reports on the human rights year in India without learn- a country which was begin- situation in Guatemala, advo- ing anything more than ning to feel like home, but, cates for survivors of human ―Namaste,‖ I swore never to I will admit, also relieved rights abuses in Guatemala, travel again without first to be away from heart- and works toward positive, learning the language of my breaking violence and at systemic change. host country. Thanks to the times suffocating insecu- amazing teachers at Proyecto Lingüistico Quet- rity. Board of Directors zalteco, I learned much, much more than a lan- guage. I learned about the history and reality of In graduate school, I slogged through the occa- Amy Kunz a country and its people, as well as my own sionally tedious classes on accounting, statis- Co-President country’s role in that history. I learned about tics, management and policy, but was sustained John Leary how a fruit company destroyed a democratic by the weeks and months that I was able to steal Co-President dream and how that destruction was just one back to Guatemala, back to the communities Joan Dawson more step in a long history of violence and theft risking their lives to defend their land and back Secretary from an indigenous majority. to the overwhelming hospitality that I have found in the regions where I worked. When I Janett Forte What I was learning seemed to keep coming Treasurer graduated last June, I was afraid I was going to back to land---from the old latifundios and va- have to find some other line of work. Unfortu- Yolanda Alcorta grancy laws which essentially constituted slav- nately, there aren’t many organizations here in América Calderón ery, to the overthrow of the democratic govern- the States working in solidarity with Guatemala, and certainly not many able to Christina del Castillo hire new staff, so I jumped at Kathy Ogle Now, I get to devote my time to doing the work I the chance to work with GHRC. love, supporting people that constantly amaze me, Jean-Marie Simon with a network of thousands of activists. Now, I get to devote my time to doing the work I love, support- Advisory Board ing people that constantly Kit Gage ment by the CIA in 1954, to the fierce resis- amaze me, with a network of thousands of ac- tance to megaprojects today. So when I saw a tivists. I also get to do this work from the belly Jennifer Harbury flier for a delegation with the Guatemala Soli- of the beast, Washington DC, where I can Sr. Dianna Ortiz darity Project (GSP) focused on campesino physically track down our elected representa- movements and their resistance to displacement, tives when they don’t respond if need be. Sr. Alice Zachmann it seemed like a natural continuation of my edu- Through GHRC I have also had the opportunity cation. I was thrilled when, at the end of the to branch out to other areas of human rights not Staff delegation, I was offered an opportunity to join so directly connected to land, like supporting GSP and support the communities which I had the courageous women’s organizations working Kelsey Alford-Jones visited as well as several others. Over the next against violence and femicide. Director couple of years, the community leaders I Robert Mercatante worked with through GSP constantly amazed As you all know, it’s a tough time to be in- Human Rights Defender Pro- and inspired me with their strength, resilience volved in struggles for human rights in Guate- gram and resourcefulness, and I was honored to work mala, with escalating violence and what’s look- with them ing like a return to military rule. However, it’s Kathryn Johnson also a time of great opportunity, as Guatemalans Advocacy and Development However, I kept bumping against the reality of continue to speak out despite great risk to them- how incredibly damaging and counterproduc- selves, and more and more Americans are aware Coordinator tive so many of the policies of my own country of the impact of our policies on the world. So, I are. The combination of our drug policy, our for one am looking forward to taking advantage Interns trade policy and our immigration policy all of this opportunity and seeing what we can ac- Alicia Brizuela seemed maliciously designed to keep the major- complish together. ity of Guatemalans trapped in an unequal capi- Abby Kamp talist system with the rules stacked against In solidarity, them. It started to seem foolish to keep working Kathryn Johnson Page 2 Issue #11/ February 2012 Criminalization and Assassinations of Human Rights Defenders on the Rise Victor Leiva was a young artist and versely affecting 15 thousand people in founding member of Caja Ludica, an arts nearby communities. When three people collective working to rebuild Guate- were murdered, Abelardo was arrested mala’s social fabric through art and cul- and taken to trial. The prosecuting attor- ture. Known as ―el mono‖ – the monkey ney – who also happened to be the legal – Leiva danced and performed on stilts, representative of the cement company – working to engage youth in positive and went so far as to request the expansion of creative activities. He was only 24 when, charges against him, calling him a on February 2, 2011, he was shot twice in ―person considered to be dangerous‖, the head on the street in Guatemala City. presumably referring to his community To date, no one has been arrested for his activism. Despite a severe lack of evi- murder. dence, inconsistent witness testimony, and numerous procedural violations, Victor was one of 19 human rights de- Abelardo was given a 150-year prison fenders assassinated in 2011, according to sentence in July of 2009, and ordered to UDEFEGUA’s annual report, more than pay Q1.036.300 (approximately US double the number killed in 2010, and $130,000) to the families of the victims. higher than any year in the past decade. His appeal was denied. Defenders play an important role in Gua- While there was not a clear case against temala. They work to promote and defend “El Mono lives: Justice for Victor Leiva” Abelardo, there was, in fact, enough evi- both individual and community rights, dence to pursue an investigation of the denounce impunity, and/or accompany ―citizen security‖ group that had been community leaders on a myriad of issues, ests or local powerbrokers against impov- reportedly carrying out acts of social including women’s rights, indigenous erished indigenous community leaders, a cleansing in the area. The group consists land rights, and the right to justice and process which disproportionately affects of several former military members that truth. They are the nation’s community the time, energy, resources, and wellbe- work on behalf of the cement company.