Cerigua Weekly Briefs #18 5/13/99 Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit source - cerigua@guate.net May 18, 1999 CERIGUA WEEKLY BRIEFS, NUMBER 18, MAY 13, 1999 This week's stories: *FDNG Leader Assassinated *Constitutional Reforms Modified; Referendum Proceeds Unchanged *Left Alliance Presents Program of Government *Land Registry Office Opens in Petin *Military Involvement Suspected in ex-PAC Prison Break *ODHA: Abuse of Children Widespread FDNG Leader Assassinated Guatemala City, May 13. The shooting death of a leading member of the New Guatemala Democratic Front (FDNG) has shaken politicians on the left, who fear that the killing marks the beginning of more violence to come. Early this morning near his home in Guatemala City, four gunmen stepped down from a white pick-up without license plates and intercepted Roberto Belarimo Gonzalez Arias and the group of people who accompanied him. Then the men fired point blank into Gonzalez chest. The victim, who is deputy secretary general of the FDNGs Guatemala City branch, died in hospital less than an hour later. One of his companions, Belgica Contreras, was also injured in the attack and remains in critical condition. Besides participating in the FDNG, Gonzalez had been involved in helping his neighbors obtain legal title to their homes. Its still dangerous to be part of the left in this country, said Mario Polanco, the branchs secretary general, in response to the assassination. There are still groups who commit these acts when they dont agree with what you think. Grassroots groups and other leftist parties condemned the crime and warned authorities that failure to act swiftly to bring those responsible to justice could further threaten peace in the country. Along with the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity (URNG), the Authentic Integral Development (DIA) party and the United Democratic Left (UNID), the FDNG forms part of a leftist coalition that plans to challenge in general elections next fall the hold traditional political parties have had on the countrys governments. The specter of violence during electoral races has long loomed large here, but some observers fear that the possibility of a strong showing by leftist forces could provoke a fierce backlash. This is not an isolated act, others have occurred in the interior, said URNG leader Jorge Soto. We also know that there was an attempt against two members of the DIA in Alta Verapaz about a month ago. According to Gonzalez wife, Elizabeth Ronquillo, todays attack follows a series of threats delivered to the politician. She said that for the last three weeks her husband had received anonymous notes and telephone calls threatening him with death, but she says she does not know the reasons for the messages or their source. Constitutional Reforms Modified; Referendum Proceeds Unchanged Guatemala City, May 11. Despite a last minute change to the constitutional reforms that are due to face a national referendum May 16, electoral officials say the vote will go ahead as scheduled. Guatemalas highest court ruled yesterday to suspend temporarily two paragraphs that form part of the package of amendments to be ratified or rejected by voters five days from now. Responding to a legal challenge presented last week by the Pro-Fatherland League, the magistrates of the Constitutional Court tentatively agreed that parts of the amendment to Article 171 subsection n) violates otherwise guaranteed constitutional rights. If ratified, the paragraphs in question would give a congressional committee access to any court orders authorizing surveillance of private exchanges such as telephone calls or letters. Although the same article would swear committee members to secrecy about the information gathered in this way, the Constitutional Court argues that these measures would cause irreparable harm to the citizenry, in particular their right to privacy. The rest of the amendment was deemed in keeping with constitutional law and will be preserved, the magistrates stated. This part of the proposed reform would establish a congressional oversight committee on intelligence matters and ratify the right of judges to order the interception of private correspondence or communications in order to investigate crimes against an individuals life, integrity, freedom or security, drug trafficking, and crimes against the state. In the same ruling, the Constitutional Court turned down the challenges the Pro-Fatherland League had presented to nine other articles contained in the reform package. According to the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), elimination of Article 171 subsection n) will in no way alter the May 16 referendum process. In case of a yes vote, wed declare that the reforms were ratified with the exception of subsection n, said TSE representative Mario Guerra Roldan. Nonetheless, several organizations that favor the proposed changes to the Constitution are unhappy with the ruling. According to Nineth Montenegro of the New Guatemala Democratic Front (FDNG), the reform in question would not endanger but protect Guatemalans right to privacy, by providing a way of monitoring the activities of state intelligence services. For their part, staff of the Institute of Political, Economic and Social Sciences (IPES) and the Institute of Comparative Studies in Criminal Sciences (IECCPG) argue that the guarantees of freedom of expression and privacy already contained in the Constitution would override any risk to them the amendment might present. Left Alliance Presents Program of Government Guatemala City, May 9. Nearly 3,000 people turned out May 6 to receive the program of government proposed by the Alliance for a New Nation (ANN), a leftist coalition that will compete in general elections next fall. This is a program that can be perfected, that should contribute to national debate on what Guatemala needs above and beyond the elections, declared Arnoldo Noriega as he presented the plan on behalf of the four parties that make up the alliance. According to its authors, the coalitions program will be founded on consensus building, democratization, decentralization of the state and equitable economic growth. Consolidating the peace process and complying with all the provisions of the peace accords that are still pending constitute the cornerstone of the platform. But increasing citizen participation in all spheres of public life, guaranteeing access to economic and social development and combating crime are also priorities, the ANN states. In particular, the alliance pledged to reverse the economic policies of the current government that have strengthened privilege and increased the differences between rich and poor and to battle the efforts of powerful economic and political sectors to weaken the role of the state. Ensuring effective representation and participation of women, indigenous peoples, the young and the elderly is another goal. Alliance members, drawn from the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity (URNG), the New Guatemala Democratic Front (FDNG), the United Democratic Left (UNID) and the Authentic Integral Development (DIA) party, promised to push forward their plan from whatever public offices they win in the next elections. Between them, the four parties boast 600 regional branches and some 23,000 affiliates. Also at the presentation, Alvaro Colom delivered his first public speech as the ANNs choice for presidential candidate. I hope that on January 14 of the year 2000 I will be able to take possession of the presidential house in all humility and modesty, he told the gathering. And I hope that on January 14 of the year 2004, Ill be able to leave its premises in the same way. Later in the week, the URNG completed the final legal requirements for participating in the upcoming elections. The former guerrilla organization held its first general assembly, where it ratified the make-up of the partys executive committee and selected a tribunal of honor and a political council. As secretary general, Jorge Soto leads the party along with three deputy secretaries general -- Ricardo Rosales, Rodrigo Asturias and Celso Humberto Morales -- and 11 other executive members. The assembly brought substantial international support for the nascent party. Delegates from seven countries, including the Peoples Republic of China, Mexico, Germany, Cuba and Italy, attended the event while several others sent messages of congratulations. Land Registry Office Opens in Petin Santa Elena, Petin, May 8. A regional land registry office, the third of its kind in the country, opened its doors here yesterday. A host of government officials, including President Alvaro Arzz and Agriculture Minister Mariano Ventura, were on hand to inaugurate the new office. The venture forms part of several projects aimed at establishing nationally an efficient, decentralized and multipurpose system of land records, in keeping with the 1996 peace accords. The opening of the office and the registry of lands will bring great opportunities for landholders, such as gaining access to credit, mortgage guarantees and a better quality of life, said National Land Registrar Jorge Rolando Barrios at the opening. Officials say that establishing more regional offices will facilitate the process of legalizing land ownership in the country. In the case of Petin, residents will no longer have to travel to the capital to have paperwork processed, but can now arrange everything at the local branch. In addition, people will be able to consult a computer database in order to review ownership titles from across the country. Among other information, office staff have electronically codified the 10,000 books of Guatemala Citys General Registry, which began to record land ownership information in 1877 and covers 14 provinces, including the Petin. The records included in the Quetzaltenango registry, which covers the countrys remaining 8 provinces, will soon be available here too. Authorities also hope that the regional office, which they say will exercise strict control and registry of the size and location of each parcel of land or farm in the province, will help put an end to the confusion and conflicts that have plagued the Petin in land questions. According to the Association for Social Studies and Research (ASIES), between 1959 and 1987 almost 8,000 square miles of land in the region were turned over illegally to private holders. The association also estimates that the owners of only five percent of estates in the province have secure title to their properties. A provincial land survey, beginning initially with the municipality of San Francisco, will further guarantee proper registry of the regions land. According to Carlos Cabrera, coordinator of the Judicial and Technical Unit that is in charge of implementing a new land survey and registry nationwide, experts will have the entire Petin surveyed in about five years time. Both the San Francisco survey and the Petin General Land Registry are part of a series of pilot projects begun last year in seven municipalities of six provinces. The projects are the first steps toward implementing a nationwide overhaul of the countrys land records, as called for in the peace accords. The accords also pledge the government to promote new legislation to better regulate property records. The national land survey, scheduled to begin more than two years ago, has been slow to get off the ground, however. Experts estimate that the whole process could take up to 25 years. Military Involvement Suspected in ex-PAC Prison Break Guatemala City, May 13. The U.N. Verification Mission (MINUGUA) claims that elements of the Guatemalan army may have had a hand in the escape of 12 convicts -- all former members of the now disbanded Civil Defense Patrols (PACs) -- from a Huehuetenango detention center. In a statement issued following the incident, MINUGUA cited eyewitness accounts that described the use of tear gas of military issue in the assault on the police station where the prisoners were being held. According to the missions information, military personnel may also have participated in planning the escape and were seen dressed as civilians among the mob that broke the prisoners out. In addition, the police and military agents present at the scene fell back before the protesters onslaught, thereby facilitating the prisoners flight, MINUGUA states. Army spokesperson Lt. Col. Edith Vargas rejected the U.N. missions findings, pointing to military efforts to prevent the incident. She says an army patrol near the scene had tossed four tear-gas grenades into the crowd to subdue it. This shows... that at no time (did the army) facilitate the prisoners escape, she argued. On April 30, a crowd of more than 600 people armed with machetes and homemade bombs marched to the provincial capital of Huehuetenango to protest the ongoing imprisonment of the convicted men and their upcoming transfer to different prisons farther away. Within hours the mob had stormed the station and released the prisoners by force. The ex-patrollers were each serving a 25-year prison sentence for their part in the 1993 murder of campesino activist Juan Chanay Pablo and injuries to three others. Chanay was killed when the patrollers opened fire on a demonstration in Colotenango, Huehuetenango against the paramilitary units. The breakout has prompted many observers to question whether all the PACs really demobilized with the end of the civil war here. This incident reveals the persistence of the ex-Civil Defense Patrols organizational capacity and operative potential, and may indicate a violation of the 1996 peace accords, states MINUGUA. Under the peace agreements, the government pledged to dissolve the paramilitary units and ensure that the patrollers cease all relations with the Guatemalan army and do not reorganize to reinstate that relationship. For her part, Lucma Quila of the National Widows Coalition (CONAVIGUA) maintains that PACs not only still exist, but hold considerable power in some areas and continue to abuse it. They dont care if agreements exist and that they have to respect them, she said. Colotenango locals say that the power structure of the defunct units remains intact in their area, particularly in the village of Barranca Grande. According to the Committee for Campesino Unity (CUC), former Barranca PAC commander Juan Lspez Rammrez -- backed by many of his neighbors -- was the main instigator of the April 30 mob action. Lspez presides over the commission spearheading the introduction of electricity to the village and wields significant influence among his neighbors, Colotenango residents say. He has the same power now as when he was commander of the patrols, said one local who wished to remain anonymous. Meanwhile, the fugitives remain at large despite a large-scale operation by the National Civilian Police to track them down. ODHA: Abuse of Children Widespread Guatemala City, May 11. The third annual report on children launched yesterday by the Archdiocesan Human Rights Office (ODHA) paints a grim picture of respect for youngsters rights. Using as a yardstick the U.N. International Convention on the Rights of the Child, the ODHA concludes that the rights of Guatemalan children are severely limited on several fronts. Sexual exploitation is a source of particular concern for ODHA investigators, who say that it exists in much of Guatemala and in many forms, including pornography, sex tourism and prostitution. The problem is most serious in the border area with Mexico, particularly in San Marcos province, where Guatemalan youngsters are forced into prostitution to serve Mexicans who cross over, the report states. Children forced into the sex trade are bought and sold and treated as prisoners with no other payment than physical assault, humiliation and daily insults, it reads. Violence in the home, where the rights of children and young people are violated with increasing frequency, also remains a pressing concern for the human rights office. The forms of domestic violence are varied. Abandonment of newborns and neglect of young children are common, while direct physical injury constitutes the principal form of abuse. Punches, burns, bruises and blows to the head are the most frequent signs of aggression that parents and other relatives apply as corrective measures against children, the report reads. ODHA also touches on the issue of incest and sexual molestation by adults who abuse a relationship built on trust, authority and power over minors. In most cases, sexual abuse of children is committed by family members or close friends, although abuse by schoolteachers has also been reported, the ODHA states. Sexual abuse changes the lives of those who suffer it, the reports authors write. Although many children try to stop the suffering by putting what happened from their minds, the damage is already done, they conclude. The rights of handicapped children come under the ODHAs microscope as well. Citing a report by the organization Central Americans for Boys and Girls (PRONICE), the office states that personal and social development of handicapped children in Guatemala is severely limited. According to PRONICE, only 1.6 percent of handicapped children in the country have access to any kind of institutional attention. Although economic, cultural and political factors contribute to these conditions, PRONICE also singles out families. The organization observes that many parents look unfavorably upon their handicapped children, even hiding them from public view because they are ashamed of their limitations or, conversely, over-protecting them and condemning them to a life of total dependency. On a more positive front, the ODHA notes that last year saw discussion and debate as never before around the problems that affect Guatemalan children and youth. Issues such as child abuse, sexual abuse and illegal adoptions, among others, are no longer private family concerns, having acquired a public dimension and become a source of concern for a wide range of sectors in society, the report observes. To further improve the lot of Guatemalas young, the office calls for the implementation of the Code on Children and Youth, which has faced repeated delays in the last three years. At the same time, the ODHA urged the government to design policies in the areas of health, education and labor that promote childrens rights as well as to promote public education campaigns on the subject. Trade Unions Give Fiscal Pact Benefit of the Doubt Guatemala City, May 6. Several unions have given their cautious approval to a process begun recently to develop a tax reform that most of the population will back. As part of a series of discussions with diverse sectors of Guatemalan society, representatives from 17 unions met April 23 with the Fiscal Pact Preparatory Committee to express their conditional support for it attempts to improve the taxation system. Alberto Villar of the Unity of Labor and Popular Action (UASP) said that his organization was committed to the negotiations for a fiscal pact. But he stressed that if the resulting agreements fell short of expectations, his organization would become the committees most vocal critic. Were going to continue formulating our proposals as long as the pact favors the majority of Guatemalans. If this isnt the case, then we will denounce it, said Villar. Other participants at the meeting urged committee members to remain independent and hear their concerns. The opportunity given to us here is important, because never before were we given a chance to express our opinions, said Ismael Fernandez of the Federation of Urban and Rural Workers. In a meeting two days earlier, the committee received a favorable review from representatives of the countrys leading business associations. For the first time in many years, an endeavor involving tax matters has been made on solid foundations and with a view to the long term, said Marco Augusto Garcma of the Sugar Producers Association (ASAZGUA). Taking as a starting point the obligations laid down in the 1996 peace accords, negotiations for a fiscal pact began after earlier attempts to effect comprehensive tax reform failed. Topics to be considered by the committee in charge of the process include taxation, government spending, state assets and the public debt. **************************************************************** Cerigua Weekly Briefs are published 48 times a year by the Centro de Reportes Informativos de Guatemala Publisher: Ileana Alamilla Editor: Ruth Taylor Cerigua 2a Calle 1-42, Zona 1, Guatemala, Guatemala Tel/FAX: 502 238 1456 502 221 2521 E-mail: cerigua@guate.net ************************************************************** SUBSCRIBE TO CERIGUA WEEKLY BRIEFS! US$ 50/ 1 year individual ---- US$ 80/ 2 years individual US$ 75/ 1 year institutional -- US$ 120/ 2 years institutional US$ 100/ 1 year amigo --------- US$ 160/ 2 years amigo Send check or money order in US Dollars made payable to: ANI, PO Box 578191, Chicago, IL 60657-8191 (indicate regular or e-mail) For information not related to subscriptions, please contact our Guatemala office: Cerigua English Section; 2a Calle 1-42, Zona 1; Ciudad de Guatemala; Guatemala, Centro America. Email: cerigua@guate.net; Phone/fax: (502) 2212521 or 2381456. ***************************************************************** ================================================================= 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-05.22.99-04:32:02-9586