Photo: A Guatemalan cat... gazing over the wall of 2009 at all the possibilities of 2010.I'm struggling to come to terms with the fact that 2009 is nearly over. It's been a year that has changed my life.
I spent most of the year (from the start of January to the end of September) working in Guatemala as an international accompanier. The experience was incredible. I met so many amazing and inspiring people who are determined to continue in their struggle for human rights, often facing threats, intimidations, and very real dangers.
There have been some very encouraging outcomes this year, many of which I have written about on my blog. The case of Choatalum was the first case of forced disappearance to have a sentence passed in Guatemala. Former military commissioner, Felipe Cusanero Coj, was sentenced to 150 years of prison, 25 for each of the six victims that he forcibly disappeared between 1982 and 1984. Those were six of the over 45,000 victims of forced disappearance during the internal armed conflict in Guatemala. That sentence was passed in August. I was at the hearings and spent a lot of time with the brave relatives of the victims, who had stood up in court and given evidence.
A few weeks later, the trial in the case of El Jute opened. I only attended the first hearing, as I left the country just days after. But I had been following the case very closely since my arrival in Guatemala in January, and had been accompanying members of the community. It was really hard to leave them, not knowing what the following months would bring. So it was very emotional to hear earlier this month that the four accused had been found guilty and sentenced to 53 years. As well as being only the second sentence ever to be given for the crime of forced disappearance, it was the first time that a high-ranking member of the military, in this case former army colonel, Marco Antonio Sánchez Samayoa, was sentenced.
Photo: El Jute... a really beautiful place.
These were fantastic advances. I could talk about some of the complications. But I shan't. I've mentioned them before on my blog, so for now I'm going to leave those cases on the positive note that they deserve and that is tribute to the brave witnesses who stood up in the face of intimidations and stood by their campaign for truth and justice.
It seemed as though advances were also being made in the campaign for justice for past atrocities when a February deadline was given for the handing over of four military archives detailing massacres which took place during the internal armed conflict. The deadline set was symbolic, the national day for the dignification of victims of the internal armed conflict. So it was perceived as a complete snub when in fact only two of the four archives were handed over.
Along with my colleagues, I was following the news story in the papers each day. It was the subject of breakfast-time conversation... whoever had got to the papers first would share the news with the others. At first we felt that the remaining archives would be handed over soon. But then the excitement waned. It was still of major concern to us. But soon it got relegated to page three or four of the newspaper: to something we talked about over our mid-morning coffee rather than our cornflakes.
Photo: Graffitti in Guatemala City, "Justice for Genocide"
This gave me an insight into what the struggle for justice means to the people involved in Guatemala. It seems that in order to continue with the daily, weekly, monthly knockbacks, you have to remain collected. Somewhat cynical. And not allow yourself to get carried away by a piece of good news, when two pieces of bad news could be around the corner. I'm not being pessimistic, but this seemed to be a common defence-mechanism. I had naively and excitedly rushed to talk to people about the release of the archives in the beginning. Finally I understood why they had seemed reserved in their responses.
In terms of the archives, there have been advances, they've just come slower than I'd originally (naively) anticipated. Earlier this month a Spanish judge heard expert witness testimonies in the genocide cases. And finally the third military archive, Plan Sofia, was handed over.
With regard to taking good news with a healthy dose of cynicism, I'm reminded of the case of the trade unionists of SITRAPETEN. In February this year their reinstallation in the company was ordered. Has it happened? No. In fact not only have they not been given back their jobs, but a few weeks ago they were subject to a violent eviction in which they were removed from the makeshift huts from which they had been staging their protest. This comes nineteen months after they lost their jobs, in May 2008.
Photo: Front page of La Hora in May this year. This headline came in the midst of the "swine flu" crisis, reading "The epidemic of violence is worse than the flu."
So, today I've been reflecting on my past year. Seems that the Guatemalan newspaper La Hora has done the same thing recently. They reported that between January and October 2009 there was an average of 20 murders per day. That's up from the 17 per day average of 2008. And it's worth noting that the newspaper headlines at the start of this year reported 2008 to have been the "bloodiest" in the history of the country. I cried when I read the article in La Hora. Where will the violence stop?
On a personal level, this year has touched me more than I would have thought possible. I arrived back in the UK two months ago, and realised that I had very little money, no job, and didn't know where I was going to live. On top of that, I had left behind many people that I care deeply about. I was sitting on the tube in London and I felt the tears well up. But then I thought about some of the people that I'd worked with. About their determination and the horror of the things that many of them had suffered. That gave me strength - THEY have given me strength, and it's a strength that I will carry with me in the future.
I've met some really incredible people. And I've formed some great friendships with people with whom I share values, and people who have walked alongside me through really difficult and emotional experiences.
It's hard living in London now. It's hard to live in such a money-oriented society when you are still in the frame of mind of being grateful for running water every time you turn on the tap, or stunned by the sheer quantity of food that is available (not to mention wasted) all the time. In terms of security it's still something of a novelty to be able to walk in the streets alone after nightfall (dangerous in Guatemala City, even though it gets dark at only 7pm). And to feel pretty much free to say what I want, where I want, to whom I want (within reason!!). But most of all it's hard to be away from the people in Guatemala who have inspired me. And who will continue to inspire me for years to come.
Photo: The stunning Lago Atitlán
