19 and 20 November this year, 380 women and 101 men working social organizations, among others, on issues of human rights, justice and historical memory - and it includes several organizations that accompanies or is accompanied ACOGUATE - participated in the V Meeting on Racism and Genocide that took place in Guatemala City. Since 2003, the Association for Justice and Reconciliation (AJR) and the Centre for Human Rights Legal Action (CALDH) have organized this annual event with the aim of creating a "space for debate, reflection and awareness around the racism and genocide in Guatemala, its causes, the need to recover historical memory and fight for justice for serious human rights violations. "The meeting was held under the theme of Justice and Resistance, guarantees of non repetition.
Inaugural Lecture - Genocide, Justice and natural resources to ensure non repetition
The inaugural lecture of the meeting, which was attended by Marc Drouin, Edgar Perez, Luis Alexis Gregory Florentino Pérez Calderón, was done under the Genocide issue, natural resources and justice to guarantee non-repetition. Perez and Calderon presented, respectively, of the sentence and the appeal that occurred in the case of Black River, village of Rabinal, Baja Verapaz (See previous articles in this blog), while Gregorio Florentino Perez talked about universal jurisdiction.
highlighted some elements of a presentation by Marc Drouin, who presented the findings of research he had conducted in 2005. In his presentation, "The Guatemalan genocide of 1982," Drouin discussed the definition of genocide under international law and enforcement of such qualification to the crimes committed in the Guatemalan highlands in the early 1980's. He explained that in recent years, the Guatemalan army followed the same modus operandi in attacks committed against indigenous populations in most of the Guatemalan highlands, in different areas and military bases, proving genocidal intent with which the army acted Guatemala. He also argued that a possible 'motives' behind the intention of exterminating the Mayan people in the cooperative movement which represented an attempt by people Indians organized to seek their own path to development and economic independence. This desire to find "a way not to go to the coast," as explained Drouin, threatened the dominant economic model from the English colonization is based on the exploitation of cheap labor that represents the indigenous people deprived of land and with little access to means of production.
Then participants were divided into several working groups according to different thematic areas. Among them were the topics of "Women and Resistance" and "Re-militarization." Mesa
work "Women and Resistance"
In the seminar "Women and Resistance", gathered some 40 participants to discuss and share about the ways in which women are fighting in the current political situation. Andrea Barrios, representing the Women Sector opened the desk by presenting the experience he had this group of women struggle to mobilize and organize and have a place as women in the negotiation of peace agreements. He explained that at the time, it was suggested that the internal armed conflict had affected women in a specific way and that, therefore, had to include in the Peace Accords a specific answer. Also suggested that Maya women during the armed conflict, the role of social reproduction took a matter of resistance: the act of giving birth and caring for children in the midst of a genocidal campaign and to keep alive traditions, cultures and languages \u200b\u200bwas to face the attempted genocide of the Guatemalan army.
Barrios suggested that a confluence of historical factors have combined to form structures of power - patriarchy, racism, neo-liberal capitalism - of which were and still barred most women. The Women's Sector has come to an analysis that, given this reality, many women start resistance from home and the fact organized and is a form of resistance. Also, the idea is to start from the personal strength and link it to broader social struggles, that is, recovery areas and territories beginning with their own bodies.
Desk "Re-militarization and peace agreements"
In the workbench on the topic of "Re-militarization and peace agreements", Amilcar Pop, Maya Bar Association, and Marco Antonio Canteo the Institute for Comparative Studies in Penal Sciences of Guatemala, spoke about a new form of militarization that is taking place at this juncture. Mentioned at the same time that Guatemala has permanently been militarized since the liberal revolution in 1871. They claimed that despite the Peace Accords of 1996 recorded that the army had to redefine their roles, their role remains the same. Justify its presence in some regions by the presence of drug traffickers and increased violence and crime, the military still serves as a tool for economic structure, imposing a stability that ensures the massive exploitation of natural resources and foreign investment, and maintaining fixed the economic powers. Pop and Canteo added that, apparently, is not a coincidence that the re-militarized areas today are located near mega capitalists.
Speakers at this workshop concluded that almost twelve years after the signing of peace, the Guatemalan State has not complied with the responsibilities of transitional justice to be followed by peace agreements, whether truth, justice, repair, and demilitarization of the country. They also emphasized the importance of breaking the impunity, which benefits the Army, events related to both the armed conflict as recent events so that there is a guarantee of non-repetition of acts of genocide and a functional democratic exercise the country.
Justice and guarantee non-repetition from the perspective of the Justice System, Civil Society and Media "
forum In the morning of November 20, Luis Ramirez, Edgar Morales, Ramon Alejandro Rodriguez Chain and presented their papers as part of the forum titled" Justice and guarantee non-repetition from the perspective of the Justice System, Civil Society and Media. "
Two presentations highlighted in this forum: the presentation of Edgar Morales, who presented the topic from the standpoint of the media and the presentation of Alejandro Rodriguez, who spoke from the viewpoint of the Justice System Morales said
most of the media in Guatemala are foreign-owned commercial media have a fundamental objective profit (not informative) and, therefore, are not acting in the interest of the majority of Guatemalans. Said he did not think it very likely that these "de-media" join the struggle of those seeking justice in armed conflicts "that they were ordered to hide." 2 On the contrary, suggested that, for the media to help ensure no repetition of the acts committed during the internal armed conflict, we should begin by building new media alternative mechanisms or own networks of information in communities.
In his presentation, Alejandro Rodríguez, Secretary of Crime Policy of the Public Ministry (MP), gave an account of how Guatemala was built historically as a racist colonial state based on exclusion and exploitation of indigenous peoples, in short: an apartheid state. Explained that, although they have been subject to minimum conditions of existence, indigenous peoples have rebelled over the history of the Guatemalan state to resist these conditions. According to Rodriguez, is this thinking that led to the Guatemalan State to adopt the massacres and genocide as a counter-insurgency policy in the 1980's. Therefore, said the transformation of MP and construction of a Human Rights Office capable of responding to the demands of indigenous peoples is not only a way to ensure non-repetition, but also the fulfillment of a "debt historic. "
latter the V Forum on Racism and Genocide ended with a recommendation by Ramon Cadena inviting avoid characterizing this struggle for truth and justice as" utopian "- which means you can never reach - because it is achievable stating that the presence in the room of survivors and relatives of victims, "attest that there are people who have courage to go and are looking for change."
Writer ACOGUATE
............. ..................... Notes
1 Policy Statement Justice and Resistance, guarantees of non-repetition "Fifth Meeting on Racism and Genocide in Guatemala.
2 Edgar Morales, a paper of 20 November 2008 at the V Meeting on Racism and Genocide, Guatemala City.
3 Alejandro Rodríguez, lecture of 20 November 2008 at the V Meeting on Racism and Genocide, Guatemala City.
4 Ramón Cadena, paper 20 November 2008 at the V Meeting on Racism and Genocide, Guatemala City.
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