/* Written 6:39 PM Sep 16, 1991 by cerisea in igc:reg.guatemala */ /* ---------- "Cerigua Briefs 9-14-91" ---------- */ 1>+r&OVVYZZB:\NORMAL.STYPOSTSCRP[@#0BWVX5 WEEKLY BRIEFS, SEPTEMBER 8 - 14, 1991 Impunity Prevails One Year After Myrna Mack's Murder Although a year has passed since the murder of anthropologist Myrna Mack, her assailants have not been punished, the Bishops Conference of Guatemala denounced this week. Her murder, acknowledged by the Attorney General as politically motivated, was widely condemned in Guatemala and internationally by academic and scientific groups. The police chief in charge of investigating her murder was killed on August 5; the Archbishop's human rights office said the investigator had found evidence incriminating high-level army officials. A mass was held by the Bishops Conference on September 11 to commemorate the first anniversary of Mack's murder. Not all of the hundreds attending the mass could be seated inside the Metropolitan Cathedral. On the same day Guatemalans marched with lighted candles in the capital city. The starting point of the march, sponsored by the peace movement known as Jornadas Por La Paz y Vida, was in front of the AVANSCO office where Mack was brutually murdered. Mack worked as a social anthropologist with the Guatemalan Association for Advancement of Social Sciences (AVANSCO). She spent the last three years of her life studying the displaced populations in Guatemala. The Jornadas Por La Paz y Vida demanded punishment for those who planned and ordered Mack's murder as well as those who carried it out. Grassroots groups who united as "Victims of Repression and Impunity" stated: "As long as those responsible for so much death, for massacres, genocide, ethnocide and the murder of courageous Guatemalans such as Myrna Mack continue to be free, continue to occupy public office, continue to walk the streets with blood on their hands, there will never be democracy nor respect for human rights in Guatemala." Contradictions Mark Independence Day One hundred and seventy years after Central America was liberated from Spain, independence remains a distant dream for Guatemalans, according to organizations involved in the Cerigua Weekly Briefs: September 8 - 14, 1991 Page national campaign "500 years of Indigenous and Popular Resistance." Labor and peasant groups say that those who celebrate Independence Day on September 15 are the government, security forces and the wealthy--the very sectors which maintain their privileged position by imposing poverty, illness, and illiteracy on millions of Guatemalans. "The Guatemalan people are subjected to an invisible dictatorship disguised as democracy. They are subjected to cruel torture, threats, harassment, and forced disappearances, and are forced to join communities of resistance or seek refuge in neighboring countries. They must live far from their communities, grieving for their relatives who have been disappeared or brutally murdered on their own doorstep." The peasants and unionists have joined forces in a counter-celebration campaign for the 500th anniversary of the Spanish invasion of the western hemisphere. In a paid statement in El Grafico on September 12, the organizations reaffirmed t! heir commitment to struggle for peace, true democracy and freedom. At a special Congressional session on Thursday to commemorate Independence Day, less than half of the legislators attended. President Serrano, Vice President Espina, cabinet members, the diplomatic corp and special guests were present. But, as news broadcasts commented, the legislators themselves were the least represented. Supreme Court Justice Edmundo Vasquez was also absent, causing speculation that all is not well between the executive and judicial branches of government. Next Round of Peace Talks Will be Difficult The upcoming meeting between the Guatemalan government, army, and the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity (URNG) will be the most sensitive and heated of all, predicted human rights ombudsman Ramiro de Leon. When the next round of peace negotiations begins on September 20 in Mexico, the topic for discussion will be human rights. De Leon said over Radio Guatemala Flash that those who violate the most sacred of human rights in Guatemala are the government, army, and private enterprise. Manuel Conde, head of the government delegation, said he anticipates the negotiators will reach agreements on human rights in next week's meeting. The agenda for the peace negotiations should be completed by the end of this year, added Conde. Democratization and human rights, however, make up only one item on the eleven-point agenda. Government and army officials have not met with the insurgency leadership since July, when an agreement was signed on democratization. Naval Base Commander Off the Hook The captain who commands the Pacific naval base has been absolved of responsibility in a mass murder in the Escuintla province in mid-August. On September 14 the Tenth Appeals Court determined there is insufficient evidence to continue pre-trial proceedings against Naval Captain Ruben Giron Arriola. He was arrested along with six lower-ranking naval personnel for the slaying of eleven semi-truck drivers and customs workers whose bodies were found on an Escuintla highway. The Attorney General's office announced this week that criminal evidence was presented to begin formal trial proceedings against the other six arrested by the Military Mobile Police. Relations with Belize a Sensitive Issue President Serrano was widely criticized this week for his attempts to resolve Guatemala's historical conflict with Belize. In August the Guatemalan government officially recognized Belize's independence despite a two century old dispute over territory. Serrano said this week that Guatemala is not giving up its rights to Belizean territory; rather it is facilitating negotiations to settle the conflict in a civilized and direct way. He emphasized the importance of improving relations to guarantee access through Belize to the Atlantic Ocean. On September 11, Serrano announced that full diplomatic relations were established and Ricardo Bueso was named as ambassador to Belize. Attorney General Acisclo Valladares criticized the government for operating in absolute secrecy in its efforts to recover Belizean territory. Jorge Carpio and Edmundo Mulet of the National Centrist Union Party (UCN) insisted that the Guatemalan people must be allowed to decide how to resolve the conflict through a national referendum. Serrano's proposed trip to Belize next week received harsh criticism. After government officials and legislators protested, Serrano announced on September 12 that the trip would be postponed. Serrano planned to travel to Belize on September 19 for the tenth anniversary of Belize's independence from Great Britain. Electricity Crisis Continues Amid controversy over electricity rationing and a 47% rate hike, the president of the national electric company (INDE) was removed by presidential order this week. Radio Guatemalan Flash quoted Minister of Energy Carlos Hurtarte on September 9 saying that Renato Fernandez had resigned and would be replaced by vice president Alfonso Rodriguez. The following day Prensa Libre reported that Fernandez denied he had resigned, and on the Notisiete news broadcast that evening, newly-appointed Rodriguez said he had not yet been officially notified. The electrical workers' union at INDE said the new appointment is illegal because the electric company has contracted with a private business owned by Rodriguez. The electric company reported on September 9 that the water level at the Chixoy dam had risen four meters from recent rainfall; to reach a normal level, however, the level must rise 24 more meters. INDE has justified electricity rationing, which began September 1, on low rainfall. INDE President Rodriguez predicted on September 12 that rationing will continue for two more months. According to unofficial sources quoted by Radio Patrullaje Informativo this week, the presidential cabinet is discussing the privatization of the state-owned electric company. Congressman Cesar Porres said President Serrano told legislators from the Solidarity Action Movement (MAS) party that privatization is necessary. Freedom of Press Questioned Journalists in Guatemala exercise self-censorship for fear of reprisals, according to Luis Morales Chua, news director at the daily Prensa Libre. Comments by Chua and other participants at a freedom of press forum were printed in Prensa Libre on September 9. Director Jose Eduardo Valdizan of the Teleprensa broadcast denied journalists are a destabilizing force in Guatemala, as some government officials charge. By attempting to inform the public with unnecessary clarity, journalists can upset the government's long-term democratic process, Presidential Chief Aide Manuel Conde commented at the forum. The press, he added, should not only criticize the government but also praise what it does well, to avoid damaging the government's image. When President Serrano spoke before Congress this week, he said journalists, who play an important role in the society, should be more objective. Serrano Plans Trip to United States President Serrano plans to travel to New York in late September to attend the United Nations General Assembly. On October 2 and 3 he will meet with President Bush. **************** Subscribe to Weekly Briefs by sending check or money order to ANI, P.O. Box 28481, Seattle, WA 98118. Subscription fees: $18 for 6 months, $36 for one year. Also please send us your comments, suggestions and any changes of address to the same post office box listed above. Thanks. \\\\\\\\\\\\\\x+u-crEkoSlTgVd{ ab^\\\\((@()bx"Ku1r ,oG d lj!v!i;%r&f^\\\\()x+-ce~ "< "CEkmVay < ppp$y { `b`b$ fh "KMO~$ 13{}E G $ G d f " "U#W#j$l$$$$ $9%;%M%O%q%s%q&r&s&$ RR=P/ +X @!BRR=P/ b5 x%B\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ~r% _ D\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\r%7\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\+r%+s%\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ (09/16/9108/14/80r%\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\