Four journalists and another person were kidnapped this week by former members of the government-created Civilian Self-Defense Patrols (PAC) paramilitaries. The PAC, officially dismantled after the 1996 peace accords, have recently resurfaced as an organized, and sometimes violent, group seeking compensation for their forced participation in the armed conflict. In response to a wave of ex-PAC violence in May, President Alfonso Portillo promised 250,000 members of the nearly 1 million-strong ex-PAC a compensation package consisting of Q884 ($110 million US) this year and another Q1.6 billion ($200 million US) to be delivered under the next government. Payments have been slow in delivery, accusations of political manipulation of the compensation abound, and the ex-PAC have taken increasingly threatening actions in order to receive their payment.

On October 26, the ex-PAC of La Libertad, Huehuetenango staged a roadblock in order to stop FRG candidate General Efrain Rios Montt from holding a campaign rally. Two journalists were captured at the roadblock after being accused of being spies for Rios Montt, two more were taken hours later, and an official from the SAAS presidential guard was also held, although his name, the conditions of his capture, or the reasons for his presence were not released. The five were held inside the group of ex-PAC for a total of 51 hours and were treated roughly, first tied up and then occasionally hit or threatened. The ex-PAC had demanded an audience with Carlos Morales, governor of Huehuetenango, and payment guarantees in exchange for the release of the five people, but Morales showed little interest in the situation. The governor didn’t meet with the ex-PAC until the second day, and when asked about the situation, said that ‘eight people’were being held in ‘La Democracia.’In the end, the five people were freed when a government mediation team agreed to give the ex-PAC their first compensation payment on November 6. (1)

On October 27, while the kidnapping remained unresolved, 16,000 ex-PAC in Quetzaltenango were given Q1,747.20 ($218 US) each, the first installment of their compensation. (2) During a campaign rally, Rios Montt reminded ex-PACs that ‘you’re still missing the second and third payments (during the next administration); no other party is going to pay you.'(3) In El Peten, a recent bust of Portillo dedicated to the ‘heroes’of the ex-PAC was destroyed. (4)

The number of political murders since November 2002 rose to 30 this week. Hugo Garcia, a UNE official in Jalapa, was shot to death on October 22. (5) The body of Elmer Artura Padilla Perez, GANA municipal official in Fraijanes, was found on October 25. Padilla Perez had been drugged, beaten and strangled, and suffered damage to his brain and lungs; his son was also drugged and beaten, but survived the attack. (6)

The mayor of Mixco, Victor Manuel Portillo, and his two bodyguards were shot on October 27, but survived. (7) In the Ixil Triangle, candidates have reported extensive violent intimidation by the FRG. ‘I don’t go out anymore unless I’m with 40 or 50 people,’said GANA congressional candidate Mynor Lopez. (8)

International observers in Huehuetenango reported being threatened by the FRG, Unionista, and UNE parties. (9) In total, the electoral watchdog Mirador Electoral 2003 has registered 251 cases of political violence between November 2002 and October 22, 2003 (10); these have been reported in 19 of Guatemala’s 22 departments. (11)

An additional $25 million US has been approved for transfer to the Preventative Military Institute (IPM). Defense Minister Robin Macloni Moran says the money will contribute to pensions and institutional restructuring, but ANN Congresswoman Nineth Montenegro maintains that it is being used to cover up a corruption scandal. The IPM is unable to account for Q176 million ($22 million US) invested in the Florida-based Pension Fund of America, and Montenegro believes that the new transfer will be used to pay off this debt, thus disguising the original act of corruption. (12)

Fifteen international organizations operating in Guatemala expressed their concern for the low Guatemalan health budget. Just Q40 ($5 US) will be spent on health per person per year in 2004, for a total budget of Q3.8 billion ($475 million US). (13) Guatemala counts with 43 hospitals, 263 health centers, 943 health ‘posts,’12,500 doctors, and 17,000 nurses for a population of 12 million. (14)

Ten SAIA anti-narcotics agents were captured this week after stealing 10 of 900 kilos of cocaine set to be decommissioned. (15) Narcotics control has been plagued with corruption in Guatemala, especially since 2000 under the FRG, many of whose members operate narcotics cartels. Among many recent cases, the EMP presidential guard were found unloading a crashed drug plane before anti-narcotics agents arrived (16); nine former leaders of the Antinarcotics Operations Department (Doan) have been accused in the theft of 1,600 kilos of cocaine (17); eight more Doan agents were sentenced to 16 years in prison each for narcotics trafficking (18); and state banks have been accused of laundering drug money (19). The United States decertified Guatemala as a cooperator in the war on drugs, but the FRG regained certification after managing to decertify the required amount of drugs in a surprisingly short period of time; multiple FRG officials have been banned from entering the US due to their involvement in drug trafficking. (20)

The ‘Group of Nine’presidential candidates (all those excluding Berger and Rios Montt) have agreed to only participate in multi-party events as a complete group. When five parties were invited the annual presidential forum of Association of Guatemalan Businessmen (AGG) on October 22, only the GANA’s Oscar Berger attended. (21)

A group of Evangelical pastors criticized UNE presidential candidate Alvaro Colom for being a ‘pagan’who ‘has publicly admitted his Mayan beliefs,’and urged their congregations to ‘vote for candidates who believe in God and respect His Word.’To bring on this criticism, Colom had accepted the invitation to an activity put on by the Council of Mayan Elders, which works to build links between the indigenous and non-indigenous populations. (22) For their part, the Guatemalan Evangelical Alliance (AEG), representing 17,000 Evangelical churches across the country, rejected the denunciation and said that ‘the church should not put on party colors.’Nevertheless, a representative of the Conference of Evangelical Churches of Guatemala (Ciedeg) said that Rios Montt does not fit into their category of appropriate candidates. ‘We consider him to be a violator of human rights. He is not one to seek peace.'(23)

In the United States, William Delahunt (D-Mass) compared Rios Montt to Saddam Hussein. ‘That the United States should be seen dealing with people accused of crimes against humanity, with people comparable with Saddam Hussein, is completely unacceptable,’commented Delahunt. (24)

-Simon Helweg-Larsen [email protected]

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REFERENCES

(1) ‘Ex PAC toman de rehenes a reporteros.’Prensa Libre, 27 October 2003, pp. 2-3; ‘Ex PAC mantienen retenidos a reporteros.’Prensa Libre, 28 October 2003, pp. 2-3; ‘Libres despues de 51 horas de cautiverio.’Prensa Libre, 29 October 2003, pp. 2-3; ‘Liberan a periodistas.’El Periodico, 29 October 2003, p. 2.

(2) ‘Pagan a miles de ex patrulleros.’Prensa Libre, 28 October 2003, p. 33.

(3) ‘El Top 10.’Prensa Libre, 28 October 2003, Suplemento ‘Tribuna,’p. 2.

(4) ‘Destrtuyen busto de Portillo.’Prensa Libre, 23 October 2003, p. 5.

(5) ‘Ultiman a activista de la UNE.’Prensa Libre, 23 October 2003, p. 6.

(6) ‘Matan a sindico de la muni de Fraijanes.’Prensa Libre, 26 October 2003, p. 12.

(7)’Balean a alcalde de Mixco.’Prensa Libre, 28 October 2003, p. 12.

(8) ‘Se calienta el ambiente electoral en el triangulo Ixil.’El Periodico, 23 October 2003, p. 8.

(9) ‘Intimidan a visores.’Prensa Libre, 25 October 2003, p. 26.

(10) ‘Sigue en aumento violencia electoral.’El Periodico, 25 October 2003, p. 5. (11) ‘Señalan aumento de violencia previo a comicios.’El Periodico, 25 October 2003, p. 6.

(12) ‘El Instituto de Prevision Militar recibe US $25 millones de finanzas.’El Periodico, 25 October 2003, p. 3.

(13) ‘Q40 anuales por persona.’Prensa Libre, 28 October 2003, p. 10.

(14) ‘Problematica y prosupuestas.’Prensa Libre, 22 September 2003, p. 3.

(15) ‘Mendizabal: ‘Existe crisis en el SAIA.’’El Periodico, 23 October 2003, p. 10.

(16) ‘Policias denuncian que el EMP los bloqeo en decomiso de droga.’El Periodico, 13 September 2003, p. 3.

(17) ‘Acusa a 6 ex jefes antidogas.’Prensa Libre, 13 September 2003, p. 10.

(18) ‘Condeenan a ocho ex agentes del Doan.’El Periodico, 19 September 2003, p. 3.

(19) ‘Recertificacion.’Editorial de El Periodico, 20 September 2003, p. 10.

(20) ‘Los ‘no gratos.’’Prensa Libre, 3 September 2003, p. 6.

(21) ‘Foro de la AGG, frustrado.’Prensa Libre, 23 October 2003, p. 5.

(22) ‘Evangelicos contra Colom por su sacerdocio maya.’El Periodico, 24 October 2003, p. 4.

(23) ‘Se debe tener cuidado de poner color partidista en la iglesia.’’El Periodico, 25 October 2003, p. 4.

(24) ‘Rechazo a Rios.’Nuestro Diario, 23 October 2003, p. 4.

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