In light of recent threats against ECAP (Equipo de Estudios Comunitarios y Acción Psicosocial), an organization doing psychological/social work with survivors in Rabinal, Alta Verapaz, we also urge the protection of the members and workers of ECAP, as well as all survivors, witnesses, human rights defenders and organizations involved in promoting the prosecution of those responsible for genocide in Guatemala. Since September of this year, ECAP has suffered various acts of intimidation and violence, including written threats, vigilance and attempted kidnapping.
On December 1, the Guatemalan Supreme Court received committal orders from Spain demanding the arrest and eventual extradition of these two ex-government officials. The formal committal order issued by Spanish judge Santiago Pedraz cites the charges of genocide for the massacres that occurred during the armed conflict and specifies that the majority of these crimes occurred during the period of Rios Montt's government. The order reads, "During Rios Montt's reign, 69% of all executions took place, 41% of rapes and sexual assaults, and 45% of tortures of all the registered cases, as documented by the Commission for Historical Clarification." Overall, some 200,000, predominantly Maya, people were murdered during the 36-year-long conflict.
Ríos Montt and Lucas García are among eight former officials who face extradition to Spain for their crimes, as the result of charges filed by Rigoberta Menchú and other victims before Spanish courts in 1999. Two others, Ángel Aníbal Guevara Ramírez and Germán Chupina Barahona, have already been detained by the National Civil Police on charges of terrorism, homicide and kidnapping. Donaldo Alvarez Ruíz and Pedro García Arredondo have not been located and are considered to be refugees from justice.
On November 30, Guatemala's Vice-President Eduardo Stein stated, it should not be justice systems from other countries which judge the crimes committed here. The Justice for Genocide coalition demands that genocide be tried by Spain under the principle of universal jurisdiction and that Guatemala create conditions which allow its justice system to function independently and efficiently. NISGUA accompaniment coordinator Bridget Brehen comments, If the Guatemalan judicial system handles the orders for Ríos Montt and Lucas García differently than the previous arrest warrants, we will be looking at a clear example of impunity.
[For more: see NISGUA's website]
Background: the case against Rios Montt et al yesterday (06-12-2006) headed towards the long grass of analysis by the Constitutional Court [El Periodico].
"El tribunal debe hacer un estudio del convenio de extradición, de la Constitución y de las convenciones internacionales sobre la materia, para establecer si una orden girada por un juez español tiene validez en Guatemala", indicó Yolanda Pérez, presidenta del Colegio de Abogados.
