/* Written 10:15 PM Jul 2, 1991 by cerisea in igc:reg.guatemala */ /* ---------- "Cerigua Briefs June 24 - 30" ---------- */ CERIGUA WEEKLY BRIEFS, JUNE 23 - 29, 1991 "Conspiracy at Harvard" Against Former Defense Minister Lawsuits against retired General Hector Gramajo are part of a Machiavellian plot to ruin Guatemala's reputation, according to the Guatemalan magazine La Cronica. Former defense minister Gramajo has been served with two multimillion dollar suits for torture and murder, one by nine Guatemalans living in California, and the other by U.S. nun Dianna Ortiz. The La Cronica article "Conspiracy at Harvard" accuses U.S. human rights organizations, Democrats in the U.S. Senate, and the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity (URNG) of conspiring to tarnish the image of the government, thus placing it at a disadvantage in the ongoing peace talks. Conspirators named in the plot are Washington Post writer Lee Hockstader, journalists Michael Massing and Shirley Christian (who wrote articles criticizing Gramajo published in the Washington Post and New York Times), Diane Sawyer of ABC's "Prime Time", America's Watch activist Jean Marie Simon (who graduated from Harvard the same day as Gramajo), Frank LaRue of the United Representation of the Guatemalan Opposition (RUOG), Senate Democrats Tom Harkins (IA), Wendell Ford (KY), and Christopher Dodd (CT), and CERIGUA. Gramajo was served with the first suit on June 6 as he graduated from Harvard University. That evening Diane Sawyer interviewed Ursuline Sister Dianna Ortiz on national TV about her kidnapping and torture by Guatemalan security forces under Gramajo's command. Earlier that day Senators Harkins and Ford (who is from Kentucky, where Sister Ortiz's Ursuline convent is located) introduced a bill into Congress to link military and economic aid to Guatemala to the investigation and conviction of human rights violators. When a La Cronica reporter asked Gramajo what he attributed the scandal to, he replied "they took advantage of my graduation day. They knew it would receive more publicity. But, really, my only sin was to have passed some courses at Harvard." Gramajo received a summons for the Ortiz lawsuit one week later. He said U.S. businessmen who are friends of his have helped him obtain the services of a "prestigious" law firm. "I haven't decided," he said, "whether to countersue or just save my visa." Army Threatens Religious Workers Over Gramajo Lawsuits At least four religious workers in Guatemala have been targetted for retaliation by the Guatemalan army after lawsuits were filed against General Hector Gramajo, reported the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR). The organization based in New York City is handling the two cases. The CCR announced this week that sources inside Guatemala, including two Guatemalan army officers, disclosed the existence of a list of persons who are under threat from the army. The persons on the list are not participating in the lawsuits. The army, however, blames religious organizations for exposing army abuses. Although the suits name Gramajo as the only defendant, army spokesmen have condemned the lawsuits as an attack against the military institution. Reactions to Second Round of Talks Responses varied this week to the lack of agreements reached in the second round of negotiations between the Guatemalan government, the army and the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity (URNG). Human Rights Ombudsman Ramiro de Leon said it was clear that peace would not be achieved overnight. He added that it was a mistake to create false hopes to the contrary. The people have been taken advantage of, De Leon contended, by a publicity campaign claiming peace is just around the corner. Indeed, Vice President Gustavo Espina said the positive atmosphere noted in the last round leads one to believe that peace is near. Congressman Oliverio Garcia, however, said the talks are just beginning. Garcia is participating in the negotiations as a representative from political parties on the National Reconciliation Commission. The head of the government delegation, Manuel Conde, said significant progress was made on the topic of democratization during the meeting last week in Cuernavaca, Mexico. President Jorge Serrano denied that his advisor Amilcar Burgos had obstructed the talks, as reported by CERIGUA and the Mexican news agency NOTIMEX. Presidential chief aide Conde said the information came from an irresponsible news agency and had been labeled false by the URNG. El Grafico columnist Carlos Rafael Soto contended, however, that at least one member of the government delegation in addition to URNG representatives revealed that progress was prevented by the excessively hard position taken by Burgos. Soto described Burgos as someone who strictly follows Serrano's instructions and has the president's full confidence. Soto questioned Burgos' motives given that Serrano wants to move quickly to an agreement and needs to improve his image at home and abroad. The El Grafico columnist added that "not even the prophetic language used by some members of the official delegation can hide the complete failure of the second round of negotiations between the government and guerrillas." Monsignor Rodolfo Quezada, the mediator for the talks, said on Sunday evening that he hopes an agreement on the issue of democratization will be reached during the next round. If so, the discussion will move immediately to the next topic-- human rights. Quezada confirmed that the next round will take place during the first two weeks of July in one of three possible locations. Government spokesman Gonzalo Asturias said later that the government would prefer to wait until August. Serrano Accused of Breaking Pact The URNG leadership accused President Serrano of violating an agreement which "recommends refraining from expressing viewpoints on the positions of the sides" involved in the negotiations. The URNG emphatically rejected the term used by Serrano to describe the insurgency's position. In Monday's Prensa Libre Serrano said there are two concepts of democracy in the talks with the URNG: "one is the liberal position, which is what we set forth, while the second is the totalitarian position." In a Friday statement the insurgency leadership said that if this commentary continues, the URNG will respond by publicizing the proposals it has presented in the talks. Vatican Supports Dialogue Pope John Paul II has given the Catholic Church's complete backing for the current peace talks between the Guatemalan insurgency, the URNG, and the government, said the official Vatican representative in Guatemala. He also expressed the Pope's full support for Bishop Rodolfo Quezada in his role as mediator. Guatemalan TV broadcast Notisiete reported that the Pope also sent a message to President Jorge Serrano saying that the talks were the only way to achieve peace in Guatemala. No Respite in Violence Labor leader Oscar Oswaldo Luna Aceituno was murdered in front of his home on Wednesday afternoon. Luna was head of the maintenance department at the San Carlos University (USAC) and participated in the seizure of the rector's office last month to demand a wage increase for university workers. On Wednesday evening machine gun fire from a passing vehicle killed three university students across the street from the USAC. Juan Carlos Bautista Morales, a USAC law student, was kidnapped last Saturday. The University Students Association (AEU) said on Saturday that the series of murders and kidnappings targetting the university community shows the true intentions of the government and the army to silence protest by the popular sectors. In other incidents, two families in the capital city were massacred within twelve hours. A brother and sister from Quetzaltenango, nineteen-year-old Celso and 17-year-old Ana Lopez Sanchez, were kidnapped in two separate incidents within 48 hours of each other, both by men traveling in a pickup truck. A truck carrying three campesinos from Playa Grande, Quiche, was machinegunned, killing two and seriously injuring one. Salvador Lopez Perez, who headed the Solidarity Action Movement (MAS) party in Malacatan, San Marcos, was murdered. Yolanda Figueroa, general secretary of the customs workers union, confirmed that she escaped a kidnapping attempt last Friday. The Mutual Support Group for Relatives of the Disappeared (GAM) reported 547 murders and 118 disappearances since the beginning of this year. GAM demanded that the government investigate the "dirty war waged by security forces against the people." Bert Sorensen of the UN Working Group on Torture said he is convinced that human rights are seriously violated in Guatemala. Sorensen said torture is used but it is difficult to confirm concrete cases because most of those tortured are disappeared. FENASTEG Takes Action The National Federation of State Workers' Unions (FENASTEG) began a series of actions to pressure the government to respond to its demand for a monthly wage increase of 300 quetzales (US$60). FENASTEG members occupied the Immigration Office, the Post Office and the Electric Company on Thursday and Friday. Post office workers stopped working for an hour on Friday to demonstrate their support. FENASTEG leader Armando Sanchez said the actions will continue next week in more than 200 state institutions. Sanchez said that, if necessary, the temporary work stoppages will lead to a complete suspension of public services. Serrano to Name Special Attorney in Unresolved Cases Under increasing pressure from the U.S. government to investigate human rights crimes, President Serrano is looking to appoint a special attorney to conduct investigations into the most widely publicized cases. These include the murder of U.S. businessman Michael Devine last year and the 1989 torture and rape by security forces of U.S. nun Dianna Ortiz. The special attorney will also investigate the murder of Guatemalan women, anthropologist Myrna Mack, stabbed to death in 1990, and union activist Dinora Perez who was shot at her home last April. Treasury Bonds Approved Television broadcast Notisiete reported Thursday evening that Congress approved the emergency bond issue that has been under discussion for at least three months. The bond issue to raise 700 million quetzales (approximately US$140 million) passed after two revisions; however the exact provisions still have to be worked out. After strongly criticizing the measure, the National Centrist Union (UCN) and Christian Democrat parties announced on Tuesday that they would give their support. Christian Democrat Fernando Lobo said the measure is a bandaid approach but a necessary evil to deal with the immediate situation. UCN legislator Juan Simons said it is not a real solution because it fails to confront the roots of the current problems. He clarified that the approved version of the bond issue is different than the government's original proposal. Refugees Respond to Surprise Visit to Camps The Permanent Commissions (CCPP) representing refugees in Mexico have announced their disapproval of the surprise visit to the refugee camps in Mexico by Carmen Rosa de Leon. De Leon is reportedly still a member of the Guatemalan government's Special Commission to Aid Repatriates (CEAR). The CCPP issued a press release stating that De Leon arrived without any invitation whatsoever from the refugee representatives. The refugees expressed their disapproval of any project that de Leon might undertake in any Guatemalan refugee settlement in Mexico and rejected any attempt on her part to raise funds in the name of the thousands of Guatemalans who have escaped to Mexico. Guatemalan Officers Named in the Kidnapping of Mexican Citizen Guatemalan army captains Luis Galvez Llama and Mario Lopez Hernandez commanded the operation which involved the disappearance of Mexican peasant Joaquin Lopez in early June, according to the Human Rights Commission in the Mexican state of Tabasco. The Mexican daily El Financiero reported that Mexican president Carlos Salinas visited Tabasco and promised the relatives of the victim that "justice will be served." Area residents delivered a letter to Salinas describing Guatemalan military abuses such as planes flying over the border area, dropping bombs and frightening people. Tabasco state governor Salvador Neme said that "the Mexican government is exhausting diplomatic resources" to respond to the Guatemalan army's violation of international law. Note: In the June 9-15 edition of Weekly Briefs, we incorrectly reported that three army helicopters had been shot down by rebel forces. The helicopters were damaged by guerrilla anti-aircraft fire. Foreign Companies Interested in Guatemalan Oil The Congressional Energy Commission reported that 128 foreign companies are interested in exploiting petroleum. The Commission conducted a study aimed at writing a billpromoting foreign investment in Guatemalan oil production, according to radio broadcast Guatemala Flash. Current laws contain obstacles which impede operation of foreign companies in Guatemala. DEA Fumigations Damaging Crops and Trees San Marcos legislator Evelio Fuentes harshly criticized aerial fumigations conducted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Fuentes said the fumigations flagrantly violate the rights of San Marcos residents. Although the sprayings are aimed at destroying poppy plantations, Fuentes said, they are indiscriminately damaging cornfields, fruit trees, forests and other vegetation. The military zone commander in San Marcos, Colonel Edgar Ovalle, advised the DEA and NASA to suspend aerial fumigations in the area. He said the chemicals are carried by the wind to nearby fields and forests. The DEA has been conducting aerial sprayings in Guatemala since 1987. ***************** In the U.S. and Canada subscribe to Weekly Briefs by sending check or money order to: ANI PO Box 28481 Seattle, WA 98118 Subscription fees in the U.S. and Canada: $18 for 6 months, $36 for one year. Elsewhere, contact: CERIGUA Apartado Postal 74206 CP 09080 Delegacion Itzapalapa Mexico, D.F. Telephone: 5102320 - FAX 5109061 - Telex (17) 64525 Also please send us your comments and suggestions to the Seattle address or by email to cerisea on PeaceNet.