CAIG, the organisation that coordinates international accompaniment in Guatemala has just published (May 2006) a report on issues in human rights that make up the heart of its current work. The report focuses on two cases in particular, on the Plan de Sanchez massacre and the genocide case presented in Spain by Nobel laureate, Rigoberta Menchu.
The report underlines the current concern that in a climate where threats and intimidation against human rights defenders are on the increase in Guatemala, impunity for those responsible for human rights abuses now and in the past continues.
However, the report also looks to the future, and in particular points to two opportunities for Guatemala and especially its government, to demonstrate its will to begin to reddress the imbalance. First, is by implementing the international ruling granting compensation to the victims of the Plan de Sanchez massacre. And second, is by cooperating with the Spanish investigation into Rigoberta Menchu's case of genocide, terrorism and torture in Guatemala in the 1980's.
The report is summarised in Spanish below:
"La Coordinación del Acompañamiento Internacional en Guatemala (CAIG), que reúne a organizaciones de nueve países, ofrece una presencia física internacional y una observación imparcial a defensoras de derechos humanos desde el año 2000. En este informe se reportan algunas observaciones y preocupaciones que resultan del acompañamiento a defensoras de derechos humanos que luchan contra la impunidad.
El informe se centra en dos casos:
1. La masacre de Plan de Sánchez, Rabinal, Baja Verapaz, caso presentado en 1996 ante la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos e incluida en casos presentados ante la justicia guatemalteca por la Asociación Justicia y Reconciliación (AJR) por genocidio, crímenes de guerra y crímenes contra la humanidad;
2. El caso presentado en 1999 por Rigoberta Menchú Tum ante la justicia española por genocidio, terrorismo y torturas, amparándose en el principio de Jurisdicción Universal.
El informe concluye que mientras el Estado de Guatemala, en los últimos dos años, ha logrado mejorar su imagen ante la comunidad internacional mediante el reconocimiento oficial de su responsabilidad por violaciones a derechos humanos cometidas durante el conflicto armado interno, la impunidad se ha mantenido en gran medida intacta. Se demuestra que, más allá de la falta de capacidad de las instituciones responsables de investigar estos crímenes y castigar a sus responsables, se han producido ataques sistemáticos en contra de defensoras de derechos humanos que han prestado sus testimonios y en contra de aquellas que les han brindado acompañamiento de tipo legal u otro. Ante estos ataques, la respuesta del Estado ha sido insuficiente, pues ningún ataque reportado en este informe ha provocado la identificación y la persecución penal de los responsables, a pesar de que la gran mayoría de ataques haya sido denunciada a las autoridades competentes.
En estas condiciones, en lugar de mostrar la voluntad política de las autoridades en propiciar la vigencia del Estado de Derecho, los pocos avances logrados en la lucha contra la impunidad demuestran la propia valentía y determinación de las defensoras, a pesar de los grandes costos humanos que han tenido que pagar. En particular se debe resaltar que la mayoría de las sobrevivientes que han brindado su testimonio son campesinas que viven en comunidades indígenas afectadas por la pobreza o la pobreza extrema,en situación de indefensión y casi abandono por parte de las instituciones del Estado, en particular del sistema de justicia.
Frente a esa situación, el Estado de Guatemala tiene dos nuevas oportunidades de demostrar su voluntad: el cumplimiento de la sentencia de reparaciones de la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos en el caso de la masacre de Plan de Sánchez y la colaboración con la Comisión rogatoria española que visitará el país entre junio y julio de 2006 en el marco de la denuncia presentada por Rigoberta Menchú frente a la Audiencia Nacional española.
La CAIG, en el marco de su acompañamiento, expresa su gran preocupación por la seguridad de todas las personas involucradas en la defensa del derecho a la justicia, en particular las que brinden su testimonio a la Comisión rogatoria española, y reitera su compromiso de difundir a nivel internacional toda la información pertinente sobre los ataques de los que puedan ser víctimas."
You can see the full report in Spanish here. This report is currently being translated into English. As soon as it's published we will post it here.
UPDATE: Here is the English introduction to the report provided by NISGUA:
Coordination of International Accompaniment in Guatemala Observation Report, May 2006
Accompanying Human Rights Defenders in the Struggle Against Impunity in Guatemala
The Coordination of International Accompaniment in Guatemala (CAIG) is a collaboration between ten accompaniment groups from nine countries:
- Acompañamiento de Austria (ADA), Austria;
- Cadena para un Retorno Acompañado (CAREA e.V.), Germany;
- Collectif Guatemala, France;
- Guatemala Solidarity Network (GSN), Great Britain;
- Maritimes-Guatemala Breaking the Silence Network (BtS), Canada;
- Mellemamerika Komiteen (MAK), Denmark;
- Movimiento Sueco por la Reconciliació n (Swefor), Sweden;
- Peace Watch Switzerland (PWS), Switzerland;
- Projet Accompagnement Québec-Guatemala (PAQG), Canada;
- Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA), USA.Our mission is to improve the human rights situation in Guatemala by providing a dissuasive, international presence and impartial observation to at-risk human rights defenders.
Since 2000, over 275 of our volunteers have accompanied human rights defenders working to end impunity in Guatemala. In recent years, we have observed that while the Guatemalan government has publicly accepted responsibility for the human rights violations committed during the internal armed conflict, and thus improved its image in the eyes of the international community, the level of impunity in Guatemala nonetheless remains alarmingly high.This impunity is not only the result of institutional inefficiency in the judicial system, but is perpetuated by systematic attacks on individuals fighting to end impunity by presenting testimony, providing legal aid and/or carrying out other forms of support to witnesses in legal cases. Furthermore, Guatemala's official response to these attacks has been insufficient: of the 260 attacks reported by anti-impunity activists between 1997 and 2005, the Guatemalan authorities have failed to identify or prosecute any of the perpetrators.
CAIG has observed that advances made to end impunity in Guatemala have been a result of the courage and determination of those struggling against impunity and not a result of local authorities upholding the Rule of Law. This is significant given that the majority of such activists are farmers from isolated and impoverished indigenous communities with little or no access to State institutions such as the judicial system.
In this context, two new opportunities exist for the Guatemalan government to demonstrate its political will to end impunity:
1. To comply with the reparation sentence passed down by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights to the survivors of the massacre in Plan de Sanchez, Rabinal, Baja Verapaz. This case was first presented to the Inter-American Human Rights Commission in 1996 and was later included in the cases of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity presented by the Association for Justice and Reconciliation (AJR).
2. To collaborate with the Spanish Commission as it investigates, according to Universal Jurisdiction, charges of genocide, terrorism and torture originally presented by Rigoberta Menchu Tum before the Spanish Judicial System in 1999. The Spanish Commission will be visiting Guatemala between June and July 2006.
Given the political and moral importance of these legal cases, and considering the longstanding history of impunity in Guatemala, CAIG is greatly concerned for the safety of individuals and groups involved in the struggle for justice in Guatemala. We are particularly concerned for the safety of individuals testifying before the Spanish Investigative Commission in June and July.As CAIG, we reaffirm our commitment to provide international accompaniment to human rights defenders in the struggle against impunity in Guatemala and will continue to report on their situation throughout the coming months.
Attachments:
