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Thursday, April 24
by
Patrick
on Thu 24 Apr 2008 07:22 PM BST
Foreign Office Minister, Meg Munn, visits Guatemala as part of her official visit to Belize and Guatemala. Seems the Foreign Office is going Web 2.0 crazy with the YouTube videos and Meg Munn's Flickr set. Foreign Office website is currently down- so we'll be posting on this visit to Casa Alianza later. Tuesday, April 22
by
Patrick
on Tue 22 Apr 2008 09:38 PM BST
New website for the campaign for Justice Nueva Linda who are seeking justice in the forced disappearance of Hector Reyes. You can find more about the case of Hector Reyes on this blog here.
Justicia Nueva Linda: In their own words ¿Quien SOMOS? El grupo campesino pro justicia en Nueva Linda es una expresión de lucha y resistencia contra la represión del Estado y la impunidad de los latifundistas, se origina por el secuestro del compañero Héctor René Reyes Pérez el día 5 de septiembre de 2003, hasta entonces administrador de la finca Nueva Linda de Retalhuleu. En dicho acto resulta directamente involucrado el propietario de la finca, Carlos Vidal Fernández y su escolta de seguridad, quienes hasta la fecha, no solamente siguen en total libertad sino además se han incrementado los actos represivos en contra de la familia de Reyes y los campesinos que le apoyan. ¿Qué QUEREMOS? Aspiramos la justicia y la paz para la familia de Héctor Reyes y las demás familias campesinas que le acompañan solidariamente en esta lucha, para que los autores materiales e intelectuales de la persecución, agresión, secuestro y asesinato de varios campesinos del Movimiento Pro Justicia Nueva Linda, tanto por parte de las fuerzas de seguridad del Estado, así como los terratenientes, sean juzgados y castigados con todo el peso de la Ley. ¿Qué HACEMOS? A partir del secuestro del compañero Héctor Reyes hemos exigido justicia en todas las dependencias del Estado, sin embargo, lejos de obtenerla, hemos sido víctimas de agresiones de finqueros latifundistas en su mayoría de nacionalidad española y de la criminalización de nuestra lucha de parte del gobierno; por ello ocupamos pacíficamente la finca Nueva Linda durante varios meses, pero fuimos desalojados violentamente en dos ocasiones. Desde el 21 de noviembre de 2004 instalamos nuestras viviendas a la orilla de la carretera, frente a la entrada principal de la finca, como medida de protesta por la falta de aplicación de justicia, habiendo sido desalojados en dos ocasiones y perseguidos por los latifundistas y la policía nacional civil. Además estamos dándole seguimiento a 4 procesos judiciales que comprenden: - Secuestro de Héctor Reyes el 5 de septiembre de 2003, - Muertes extrajudiciales en desalojo violento de la finca el 31 de agosto de 2004, - Secuestro, tortura y asesinato de Eufemia López Morán 25 de abril de 2004, - Agresión e Intento de Secuestro de René Eustaquio Reyes el 2 de abril de 2004, - Intento de asesinato en contra del grupo campesino el 21 de noviembre de 2004, - Lesiones graves producidas por arma de fuego a varios campesinos del grupo. Nuestra lucha se ha fortalecido gracias a la solidaridad de organizaciones nacionales e internacionales como: el Comité de Desarrollo Campesino, Bloque Anitimperialista, ACOGUATE, Collectif Guatemala y Action Rights. Documentary: Km207 Justicia por Nueva Linda
by
Patrick
on Tue 22 Apr 2008 07:12 PM BST
Part one of Secil Oswaldo de Leon's documentary on the issue of forced disappearances. Part two of Secil Oswaldo de Leon's documentary on the issue of forced disappearances. Part three of Secil Oswaldo de Leon's documentary on the issue of forced disappearances. Part four of Secil Oswaldo de Leon's documentary on the issue of forced disappearances. Monday, April 21
by
Patrick
on Mon 21 Apr 2008 09:28 PM BST
Secrets of the CIA is a film written and directed by James Otis. Produced by Turner Original Productions, Inc., 1998. The transcript below is an extract courtesy of John Bernhart. Full transcript is available here from Darrel G Moen's blog. A frightening and true story, Secrets of the CIA draws on highly personal stories of numerous ex-CIA agents. Phil Roettinger: I went through World War II as an officer in the Marine Corps, came back, and one night the doorbell rang and I want [to the door] and here was this nattily dressed man in a nice suit and a snap-brim hat. And he said, "May I come in?" And I said, "Well, I think you had better identify yourself. Who are you?" "Well," he said, "I know who you are and you've been recommended very highly to our organization." I said, "What's your organization?" [He said,] "Well, I'm not at liberty to tell you what the organization is." And I said, "This is crazy! But I told him, "Come on in," [because] he was a little guy and I thought I could handle him pretty well. And he said, "You have been accepted in our organization, and we want you to go to Central America." And I said, "What? Central America? Come on!" So that's how it happened. I was to join this group that went to Central America and I found out that I was supposed to be in charge of overthrowing a government in Central America. "It doesn't sound right," and I said, "What's the government?" "Well," [he said,] we don't want to go into it too deeply here, yet." "Well," I said, "I think you'd better forget the whole thing." "Oh, no no no no no! It's very important," and so finally he did let out that we were going to overthrow the government of Guatemala. Well now, I had been to Guatemala before several years before that because I was a member of the U.S. Olympic team and we were requested to go down and help organize the Games, the Central American/Caribbean Games. Voiceover: Doves are released: living symbols of the peace and friendship among the twenty-two nations represented. Phil Roettinger: So I knew people down there. I knew this gentleman by the name of Arbenz, and the CIA was going to have me overthrow these friends of mine. Well, they explained to me that this is extremely important to the security of the United States. (When they pull that, you know there's something wrong because the United States is so secure that nobody is ever going to do anything to it.) Anyway, so I said, "Well, okay, I'll do it." And we organized a group of dissident Guatemalans, armed them and trained them minimally, and sent them off up to overthrow the government [Operation El Diablo]. Voiceover: Fighting ends in Guatemala. These rebel troops backed by air power have compelled the ousting of Guatemala's pro-communist regime and have won a ceasefire from government forces. That red rule in Guatemala is over is grimly symbolized by the determination of the insurgents themselves and by this effigy of ex-president Arbenz who fled the country. The sign reads: "Go back to Russia." Richard Nixon: You know there were some people during the Arbenz regime that said there was a question as to whether it was truly a communist regime and as to whether it was controlled by Moscow. Do we have here the proof that there was no question whatsoever? 1954 Guatemala Coup Spokesman: There was no doubt at all that Russia controlled all the communists here in Guatemala, sir. Richard Nixon: In other words, the Arbenz regime was not a Guatemala government; it was a foreign government controlled by foreigners. Phil Roettinger: What happened was that they went up there and caused great bloodshed and great damage, which have never been corrected even to this day. That started the whole thing in Guatemala and is why we're having all this trouble today. The only thing that can be done, of course, is to work with our Congress because everything that happens in Latin America or any place else in the world begins in our Congress. Now look: Are you in favor of killing somebody that you don't know? Are you in favor of torturing somebody? Are you in favor of locking people up in dungeons and things? Are you really in favor of that because I don't think that you are? And I think that I can get that across to you pretty well if I get a chance to talk to you like that. Ralph McGehee: I feel that because of the problems that I went through, the realizations that I came to, the efforts that I've taken to counter--if I may call it this--this monster, that I am contributing so much now that I could not have contributed had I not joined the agency. Verne Lyon: There's no way I can make amends, but certainly helping in this effort to expose the abuses of our intelligence services, perhaps, in some small way will help pay that debt. Narrator: In an organization that celebrates loyalty and security, the public confessions of these former agents have been hard to swallow, but as revelations of the Agency's failures and deceit pile up, the courage to speak out has spread from one agent to another. Phil Roettinger: I promise that I will do as much as I can for peace in Latin America. Thank you very much. Background More information on Operation PBSuccess Charlie Clements Reflects on Guatemala, Past and Present The Secret Government - PBS Documentary Guatemala's Respite From War Tuesday, April 15
by
Patrick
on Tue 15 Apr 2008 11:28 PM BST
Democracy Now! ran the following headline: "UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has warned the growing global food crisis has reached emergency proportions. Ban Ki-moon said the international community needs to take urgent action in order to avert a larger political and global security crisis. On Monday, President Bush ordered the release of $200 million in emergency food aid to help alleviate food shortages in developing countries. The World Bank estimates world food prices have risen 80 percent over the past three years and that at least thirty-three countries face social unrest as a result."
In Guatemala, President Alvaro Colom made the following appeal to the nation in the face of rising oil and food prices: According to Prensa Libre (6th April 2008): "Según el último monitoreo efectuado el 3 de abril del 2008, por la Secretaría de Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutricional (Sesan), seis mil 147 comunidades en todo el país presentan algún grado de riesgo y registran casos de niños con desnutrición. De éstas, 332 están en muy alto riesgo, de las cuales 93 se encuentran en el departamento de Totonicapán. Prensa Libre ran a story on 28th January reporting significant increases in cases of malnutrition in Guatemala.De los 22 departamentos del país, 20 registran algún tipo de desnutrición. Alta Verapaz y San Marcos son los que tienen mayor número de comunidades en niveles variados de riesgo, 972 y 967, respectivamente, pero es Totonicapán el que tiene más comunidades en muy alto riesgo, y Momostenango es el municipio más afectado, con un total de 31, seguido de San Bartolo Aguas Calientes, con 28." Tuesday, April 1
by
Patrick
on Tue 01 Apr 2008 11:47 PM BST
Traditional dancing is massive in Guatemala and other countries in Central America such El Salvador where the above documentary clip is from (El Salvador,"La Huella Prehispánica", Documental). The more I discover about folkloric or traditional dancing, the more you see the links with our own traditions and cultures that have become more and more submerged. For example, here's a clip of Morris dancing from my own backyard in Hackney, London, showing a fascinating resemblance to the dancing in El Salvador. Thanks to cuzcatleco76 for the wealth of video on El Salvador. |
Welcome, Guatemala Solidarity Network (GSN) based in the United Kingdom supports the people of Guatemala who continue to struggle for change after centuries of oppression, violence, racism and exploitation. ![]() You can keep in touch with all the news and views on Guatemala in many, many blogs and sources of information here via Pageflakes. GSN Links
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