Members of Guatemalan armed forces visited the community of Ilóm in the municipality of Chajul , Quiché last week in a purported attempt to recruit youth. Ilóm is home to the President of the Association for Justice and Reconciliation (AJR) and other witnesses participating in the legal cases charging Guatemala ’s military high command with genocide and crimes against humanity.
On October 3, 2007 at 9:00 AM, armed members of the Guatemalan military entered Ilóm. For the next seven hours, they proceeded door-to-door through the community, physically entering some homes, and attempted to recruit youth to join the army. About a dozen young men left with the troops. The military returned the following day and again on October 7.
It appears that Ilóm has been singled out for this recruitment endeavor, as the military has not visited nearby communities. The presence of armed forces incited fear among Ilóm’s inhabitants who survived military violence in the 1980s.
The actions in Ilóm violate the Peace Accords and the Ibero-American Convention on the Rights of Youth. The military’s acts also infringe the legal methods and timelines for recruitment set out by Guatemala's Civil Service Law signed in 2003.
The AJR and its legal advisors at the Center for Human Rights Legal Action (CALDH) are requesting a full investigation, including a disclosure of those responsible for sending the military to Ilóm. They have filed official complaints with the Human Rights Procurator (PDH) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR).
On October 3, 2007 at 9:00 AM, armed members of the Guatemalan military entered Ilóm. For the next seven hours, they proceeded door-to-door through the community, physically entering some homes, and attempted to recruit youth to join the army. About a dozen young men left with the troops. The military returned the following day and again on October 7.
It appears that Ilóm has been singled out for this recruitment endeavor, as the military has not visited nearby communities. The presence of armed forces incited fear among Ilóm’s inhabitants who survived military violence in the 1980s.
The actions in Ilóm violate the Peace Accords and the Ibero-American Convention on the Rights of Youth. The military’s acts also infringe the legal methods and timelines for recruitment set out by Guatemala's Civil Service Law signed in 2003.
The AJR and its legal advisors at the Center for Human Rights Legal Action (CALDH) are requesting a full investigation, including a disclosure of those responsible for sending the military to Ilóm. They have filed official complaints with the Human Rights Procurator (PDH) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR).
