Recently in the news it has been reported that 3 or 4 former Guatemalan soldiers have been arrested in the US for their role in a particular 1982 massacre, in the Peten in a place called Dos Erres; one of the biggest massacres discovered and the exhumation produced over 200 bodies. BBC article here. Dos Erres means 2 R's and according to one report I read it stands for the first letters of the last names of the two founders. Anyway, 28 years later and these guys are gettin' got. Well a couple of them. What is interesting, as I understand it, is that they were really apprehended because they didn't disclose their military record when applying for US citizenship and that being tried for their roles in massacres may come, or may not come. At least for 1 of them. Another interesting bit is that one of them, after committing murders in the Dos Erres massacre, then went to train at the School of the Americas. Here's where I would add an AAAYYYY DIOS. Since I'm not pretending to be unbiased, here is a link to an Anti-School of the Americas advocacy group just for kicks. Here.

The other guys they found were living in California chilling as karate instructors and whatever else. One of them abducted and "adopted" one of the Dos Erres massacre survivors, a 5 year old boy. The boy is now more like my age and will serve as witness to his adopted father's crimes. Can you believe that? This kid was raised by the man who murdered his family and most of his village. They lived in California. Really incredible. What these guys should do is call out those responsible at the highest level.

Also in the news was an article in Phoenix about a current round up of deported undocumented immigrants back to Guatemala. One of them said he fled Guatemala in 1985 when he was just 15. "If I would've stayed in my country, most likely I would be killed," said Ramirez, who is now 39."I'd be dead right now,” he said. “The last few members of my family that I grew up with in my childhood, there's only two left and I'm one of them." This really caught my eye because of what Jennifer Harbury said (in a previous post, the Harvard lawyer working toward justice in the disappearance, torture and murder of her hubs who was a guerrilla fighter) which is that when she worked in south Texas as a civil rights lawyer in the 1980s she met countless Guatemalans fleeing the violence, who exhibited signs of physical and mental trauma as a result of the genocide and massacres taking place. AND at that time Guatemalans were denied refugee status because it conflicted with the fact that the US was supporting the Guatemalan government AND training its soldiers! I think a deep breath and an AYYY DIOS is needed here.

Also, I recently spoke with one of my dear Concepcion Huista-ites who said that during the violence, the 36 civil war, Concepcion was rather chill, not making any noise. However, their relatives living in the Ixcan (northern Quiche where many Concepcion natives live) were fleeing to Mexico in droves losing their land in the process because when they would return, they would discover the military had "given their land away." This happened to Andres' parents. And those that stayed, in various communities all over the Ixcan region, would continue to live among those who committed the crimes, the disappearances, the murders. Because people were pitted against each other, or some community members killed for the military, some for the guerrillas, after all the violence, they all continued to live there.

An example of this is that there was a man in Xalbal, a community of the Ixcan, where he lived for several years after the violence, but with major physical problems due to being cut up by a machete and tortured. He hobbled around for years before dying just last year. And in the community lived the men who did it to him. Those who were around for the violence know, still today, who did what to whom. Wow, I say. This really speaks to why people are still afraid to speak out, recognize and denounce the atrocities that occurred almost 30 years ago.

Well I realize this here blog started more like, Hey I ate beans today! and is now full of other stuff. In an "I ate beans" note, today I have one more assignment due and then this semester is over! Then I will be focusing more on my health education project in Concepcion Huista. In a few weeks I'll be heading to Seattle, Portland then San Francisco before starting my summer Dragons program with orientation near LA.

--Here's another story of one of the guys they've recently caught:

DELRAY BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) -- A former Guatemalan soldier living in South Florida for the last 20 years has been busted, after being accused of murdering babies and women in native country.

Gilberto Jordan, 54, is a former soldier from Guatemala. He is wanted in Guatemala for his part in the massacre in Dos Erres, in 1982. Authorities said men, women and children were abused and murdered during the massacre.

Neighbors were surprised to hear of the disturbing news. "If he did that, then he should go back and be punished," said his neighbor Myla Wiseman. "The guy has always been very nice. I've never seen him bother any of the neighbors. How do you know what your neighbors are?"

The 53-year-old has been living in the US for 20 years. He became a citizen in 1999. The justice system wants to deport Jordan back to Guatemala because he lied on his immigration form when asked if he had ever committed a crime.

An immigration and customs agent stated: "Jordan admitted he had participated in the unlawful killing of villagers at Dos Erres. Jordan specifically admitted that the first person he killed was a baby, whom Jordan murdered by throwing into the village well," said special agent John Longo.

Former dictator Jose Efrain Rios Sponte is blamed for leading an attempt to erase the Mayan race in 1982 because some supported rebel guerrillas. Now, Guatemalans are looking for justice.