The Economist article: An indictment from the grave explains and puts the situation into a bit of context.

In brief, key members of the government have come under suspicion of murder, as foretold by the now deceased lawyer Rodrigo Rosenberg. In a video released onto the internet in the days following his death, he accused president Álvaro Colom of the murder of Rosenberg’s client, anticipating that he himself would be the next to die. A serious allegation to be sure, that’s now being investigated by the UN independent comittee CICIG and an FBI agent (one) the US embassy flew in last week. There has been a bunch of manifestations in support of Colom and a great deal more demanding his resignation these past weeks, marking the deepest political crisis of the Colom administration.

Also, demonstrations against the mining operations sprung up in the capital yesterday, among other places at the Canadian embassy. And also yesterday Goldcorp, the company responsible for the Marlin mine in San Marcos, held its annual shareholder meeting in Vancouver, Canada. Indigenous community members from Sipacapa and San Miguel Ixtahuacán in the Guatemalan highlands, as well as Nak’azdli First Nation representatives of British Colombia came to Vancouver to confront Goldcorp with its environmental and human rights resposibilities. I’m excited to hear how it went.

Dear President Àlvaro Colóm,

I write to ask you to fulfill your promise to combat entrenched impunity in Guatemala. It is unjustifiable that the vast majority of the victims of the armed conflict, as well as victims of current human rights attacks, have yet to see justice for the crimes committed against them.

Although certain cases advanced in 2008, I am concerned that 99% of the atrocities committed during the internal armed conflict remain in impunity due to the failure of the Guatemalan State to effectively investigate and prosecute these crimes. The unit of the human rights prosecutor’s office in charge of crimes of the past has not prosecuted one suspect since it opened in 2005.

Instead, these cases are often stalled in ineffective investigations and legal motions. Judges often take months to issue rulings, and injunctions filed by defense lawyers (amparos) can take years to resolve before the cases even reach the prosecutorial stage.  This process only serves to delay – or completely deny – justice for the survivors.

In the national genocide case filed against Efraín Ríos Montt and his high command, a series of legal motions has delayed the declassification of military documents that could serve as key evidence towards prosecution.  Although a judge ordered their declassification in March of 2007, over one year later the Ministry of the Defense has yet to deliver the military documents to the Attorney General’s Office and the association of survivors.

On February 25, 2008, you publicly stated that military archives should be declassified and handed over to the Human Rights Ombudsman’s Office. To date, however, the documents remain classified information in the hands of the military.

Impunity rates for current human rights violations are inextricably linked to the failure to bring the crimes of the past to justice. In 2006 and 2007, the Unit for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders in Guatemala (UDEFEGUA) registered 466 attacks on human rights defenders, many of whom risked their lives by demanding accountability for crimes of the past. Nonetheless, the human rights prosecutor’s office did not prosecute any suspects in the 49 cases investigated during this period, while only three human rights defenders’ cases were resolved by other offices.  The prosecutors have not only failed to resolve individual cases, but they have also failed to investigate these attacks as part of a systematic pattern and practice designed to impede human rights work.

In the face of alarmingly high levels of impunity and violence, I ask you to fulfill your promise to prioritize the issue. I implore you to support the survivors’ right to truth and justice by ensuring that the military documents be declassified and promptly handed over to the public institutions as ordered. I ask you to advocate for changes to the Injunction Law that would halt the current practice of using legal motions to stall judicial processes. I further urge you to prioritize ongoing evaluations of the Attorney General and the Public Prosecutor’s Office to ensure that the institution be purged of employees linked to organized crime and to guarantee that the effectiveness of the institution significantly improve. Furthermore, I call on you to ensure that the government takes the necessary steps to guarantee the safety of human rights defenders.

Twelve years after the signing of the Peace Accords, the victims of the war deserve justice, just as human rights defenders today deserve to carry out their work without fear of reprisal. Now is the time to take a stand and prove your commitment to ending impunity and strengthening the rule of law in Guatemala and to encourage others in your administration to do the same.

Thank you in advance for your attention to the matter.

Sincerely,

Thomas Elsted

update:
I feel I should clarify that this letter was composed entirely by NISGUA, with a few minor correction by me. If you like, you can sign it here and email it to the presidential office in Guatemala.

En español:

Excelentísimo Señor Presidente
Álvaro Colóm

Le escribo para pedirle que cumpla con su compromiso de combatir la impunidad en Guatemala.  Es injusto que la gran mayoría de las víctimas del conflicto armado interno, igual que víctimas de los ataques hoy en día en contra defensores de derechos humanos, sigan luchando para justicia por los crímenes cometidos en su contra.

Aunque ciertos casos avanzaron durante el transcurso del año 2008, me preocupa que 99% de las violaciones cometidas durante el conflicto armado sigan impunes debido al hecho que el Estado de Guatemala no ha investigado ni procesado estos crímenes.  La Unidad de Esclarecimiento Histórico del Ministerio Público no ha presentado ni una acusación desde que se creó en 2005.

En lugar de ser esclarecidos, los casos se quedan en la fase de investigación o en la resolución de recursos que solo favorecen la impunidad.  Jueces suelen llevar meses para emitir dictámenes y la resolución de amparos interpuestos por la defensa puede llevar hasta un año.  Este proceso solo resulta en la dilación o denegación de justicia para las víctimas.

En el juicio por genocidio contra Efraín Ríos Montt y su alto mando, una serie de amparos ha retrasado la desclasificación de documentos militares que podrían proporcionar pruebas claves para presentar una acusación.   A pesar de una orden del juez que dictaminó en marzo de 2007 que los documentos fueran desclasificados, el Ministro de Defensa no ha entregado dichos planes militares ni al Ministerio Público ni a la querellante en el caso, la Asociación de Justicia y Reconciliación.

El 25 de febrero de 2008, Usted manifestó que los archivos militares deberían de ser desclasificados y entregados a la Procuraduría de Derechos Humanos.  Ni siquiera, hasta la fecha, los documentos permanecen clasificados bajo el control del Ejército.

La impunidad que prevalece en los casos de violaciones más recientes está vinculada a la impunidad que reina en los casos de crímenes del pasado.  En 2006 y 2007, la Unidad de Protección para Defensoras y Defensores de Derechos Humanos (UDEFEGUA) documentó más de 450 ataques en contra de defensores, de los cuales muchos arriesgaron su vida para exigir justicia para las violaciones cometidas durante el conflicto armado.  Sin embargo, de los 49 casos investigados por la Fiscalía de Derechos Humanos en 2006 y 2007, no ha presentado ni una sola acusación.  Los 3 casos de defensores resueltos durante el mismo periodo fueron investigados por otras instancias.  Los fiscales no solo no logran resolver los casos individuales, sino también no han logrado realizar una investigación de los ataques considerando los mismos un patrón sistemático para impedir el trabajo que realizan los defensores.

Frente a niveles alarmantes de impunidad y violencia, le pido que cumpla con su promesa de priorizar la lucha contra la impunidad.  Le exijo que promueva el derecho de las víctimas a la verdad y la justicia, garantizando que los archivos militares sean desclasificados y entregados a las instancias públicas según la orden del juez.  Le pido que vele por reformas a la Ley de Amparo para impedir que los amparos sean utilizados para paralizar procesos legales.  Aparte le exijo que continúe monitoreando y evaluando el desempe�o del Fiscal General y la Fiscalía de Derechos Humanos para garantizar la depuración y el mejoramiento de la efectividad del Ministerio Público.  Además, le insto el Estado de Guatemala tome las medidas eficaces para garantizar la seguridad de los defensores de derechos humanos y la investigación de los ataques en su contra.

Doce años después de que se firmaron los Acuerdos de Paz, las víctimas del conflicto armado merecen justicia, tanto como defensores de derechos humanos hoy en día merecen realizar su trabajo sin temor a represalias.  Ahora Usted tiene la oportunidad de tomar medidas para mostrar su compromiso a la lucha contra la impunidad y el fortalecimiento del Estado de Derecho en Guatemala y para garantizar que los de su administración hagan lo mismo.

Le agradezco de antemano por su atención al asunto.

Sinceramente,

Thomas Elsted

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