Searching for Justice in Guatemala
Guatemala City
Guatemala City's central square
The next day, the four of us drive to Guatemala City. The roads are smooth and freshly paved, a tribute to the people and money that move between the two cities, unlike other highways in the country. Guatemala City is a big sprawling city, unlike compact Antigua; it is also not a safe city. The central square, which we visit one afternoon, empties at night; bus service to the city centre stops after dusk, forcing people who don't own cars to take taxis, brave walking, or stay home. I can walk around alone during the day in some parts of the city, but we still have to be vigilant against car hold-ups by locking taxi doors.
Much of the violence in Guatemala City is considered by civil society to be a direct result of the armed conflict. Marginalized and poor women are being killed in what is being called "feminicide" (Amnesty International cites over 2,500 violent deaths over the past five years); there is widespread speculation that these crimes are part of a pattern of social cleansing, with the perpetrators linked to clandestine paramilitary structures that were never dismantled. Men who have left paramilitary or military structures are also easy recruits into gangs; organized crime is widespread, and is known to reach into the upper echelons of both government and the business world. Challenging these structures and seeking justice for war crimes is dangerous. Human rights defenders are threatened and attacked; Amnesty International has sent out alerts about several of our counterparts, whose offices have been broken into, computers stolen and trails of chicken blood left behind. They continue their work with heightened security, and an important part of our efforts is promoting international awareness of their situation to help protect them.
| Reviewed July 31, 2009 |  |
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