To All Living Things
Last Week's Column

Amnesty Action:
Ill-Treatment and Fear for Safety in Guatemala
by Kathy Gay

his week’s action from Amnesty International concerns the safety of a 17-year-old youth who lives on the streets of Guatemala City.

Last month he and another street youth were stopped by two police officers dressed in full uniform. When the young men failed to show identification as requested, the policemen reportedly forced the 17-year-old into the back of their patrol car and beat him. Then they drove him to another location and beat him again before they finally released him. The youth reportedly sustained several cuts and bruises as a result of the beating. The other young man was never detained.

A non-governmental organization that provides food and shelter to street children in Guatemala filed a complaint with the Office of Professional Responsibility of the National Police about this incident. Reportedly, that office confirmed that the young man had been beaten by the two policemen and opened an investigation into the case. Several days later, the youth reported that he was being followed by police and feared for his safety. He went into hiding for over a week at one of the centers for street children and then he returned to the streets.

The two police officers in question neither reported the incident nor took the youth to a juvenile detention center as required by Guatemalan law. They have not yet been arrested, thereby heightening concern for the youth’s safety.

Background Information

Amnesty International has repeatedly received information about human rights violations against street youths and children in Guatemala. In some cases the perpetrators of these crimes are members of the National Police, private security guards or members of vigilante groups acting with the complicity of the security forces.

Unlike other cases of human rights violations, there have been a few recent convictions in cases of human rights violations against street children. However, the majority of these cases are not investigated by the authorities. In cases that have led to the trial of those responsible, relatives, witnesses, lawyers and others involved in the prosecution have been subjected to threats and intimidation.

How you can help

Please send a letter to the Attorney General of Guatemala as soon as possible, but no later than May 16, 1997. You may use the sample letter linked below or use it as a model to write your own letter. If you choose to use the sample letter, please cut off or delete all website information at the very top of the letter. If you choose to write your own letter, make sure that it is politely worded and non-partisan (i.e., not used as a vehicle for political expression). Care must be taken to ensure that nothing is written that will cause harm to this young man or any other youths living on the streets of Guatemala. Be sure to include both your name and address, as well as the date, on the letter.

U.S. airmail postage to Guatemala is 60 cents.

Questions?

If you have any questions, just post a message to me (Kathy Gay) at the Pub, and I will respond as soon as I can. I greatly appreciate your interest and support.

To see the sample letter for this action, click here.

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Kathy Gay is a vegan, and has been a member of Amnesty International for nearly 10 years, where she has worked on numerous campaigns. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and is a business analyst for a leading California bank.

Kathy's column, To All Living Things, is a regular feature of VegSource On-Line Magazine.