Guatemala-Harbury/Urgent Action for Witness's Relatives Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit source - "GHRC" May 18, 2001 URGENT ACTION: JENNIFER HARBURY - BAMACA CASE THREATS TO KEY WITNESS AND HIS CHILDREN CONTINUE Dear Friends, I am writing to let everyone know that we need more extremely urgent calls and letters to the Guatemalan Embassy on behalf of Otoniel De La Roca Mendoza and his children. Unfortunately, the threats and intimidation against him and his family are escalating, and I fear that very soon someone will be very seriously injured or worse. For those of you who did not see my last alert, Otoniel was a key witness in the recent Inter-American Court trial of the Guatemalan army in my husbands torture and murder. We won that case last December, with a 100 page unanimous international decision. Needless to say, the army was not amused, nor are they happy about our coming reparations hearing. Since they cannot undo the judgement, they are looking for revenge, and they want to warn all future witnesses to remain silent. Otoniel was himself captured by the Guatemalan military and severely tortured. Among other abuses, he was "hooded" (a plastic bag filled with pesticides was placed over his head to induce asphixiation), drowned, beaten with a bat and given electric shocks. Then the army kidnapped his two small children from a church refuge and brought them to the base where he was being tortured. His mother, father , wife, and sister had already been "disappeared" by the military. During his time as a prisoner, he saw Everardo in military hands, being seriously abused. He was also able to learn the real names of many high level officers in the G-2 inner death squad. He shared all of this information with the UN Truth Commission, as well as MINUGUA, and he was a key witness in my OAS trial. Since Otoniel arrived here in 1997 and began to share his information, the threats have been grim. When he first testified to the Inter American Commission in 1998 in Washington D.C., he received frantic calls from friends at home reporting that army officers had come by to leave messages for him, warning that he should think about the safety of his friends back home before he testified. He had the courage to speak out anyway, and has continued to do so. Since then, with a fair amount of difficulty, we have been able to bring his current wife and children and younger siblings here. However, an ex-wife remained in Guatemala with two young sons. Once the court ruling came out, the pressure began to escalate again. A good friend fled Guatemala in December after repeated military "visits". In April, someone broke into my home in Texas, stealing only the laptop and not the money, cd player or credit cards, then called Otoniel from San Antonio, threatening to kill him and his children for what he had done. (As you will recall, an Amnesty representative received death threats in this time frame because of her editorial on the Gerardi trial). Then another call came to Otoniels homewith someone in a frightening voice declaring in Spanish that the call would be taped. They hung up. Meanwhile, back in Guatemala, menacing cars have been parking near the home of Otoniels ex wife , watching her and her two sons. Just a few days ago she was followed into her neighborhood by an obvious military person and told she would be seeing them. Otoniel believes that something drastic will soon occur, both to make an example out of him and this silence other potential witnesses, as well as to punish. We are both very fearful for the safety of his sons back in Guatemala. Our State Department tells me a visa could take nearly a month to obtain. PLEASE CALL THE EMBASSY AS WELL AS YOUR CONGRESSPERSON ABOUT THIS AND DEMAND THAT ALL OF THE WITNESSES AND THEIR FAMILIES BE LEFT ALONE AND THAT THEIR RIGHTS BE RESPECTED. I realize that the thousands of calls everyone has made throughout all these years have been exhausting and burdensome. But they have saved lives, including mine, The telephone system does work. Some of you have asked whether or not the police and FBI here have been informed. The answer is yes, we have reported to all agencies. But do not let the Guatemalan Embassy off the hook with this red herring. They used to say they would free Everardo if only I would tell them where he might be. This is just part of their style and strategy of distraction. It is not up to the US law enforcement agencies to locate and identify Guatemalan death squad members who are traveling in this country, using public phones, and false names. The Guatemalan army knows full well who these people are. It is up to the Guatemalan army to reign them in. Please ask you Congresspersons to call the Guatemalan Ambassador as well. GUATEMALAN EMBASSY TELEPHONE : 202-745-4952 ADDRESS 2220 R St. NW WASHINGTON DC 20008 U.S. CONGRESS SWITCHBOARD 202-224-3121 ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytcamer-05.21.01-12:40:19-22314