To All Living Things
Last Week's Column

Amnesty Action:
"Social Cleansing" in Guatemala
Kathy Gay

his week’s action from Amnesty International concerns the killing of a 17-year-old street youth, and the attempted murder of another, in Guatemala City in June 1995. It demonstrates only too well how some members of the Guatemalan security forces are involved in "social cleansing" operations and human right violations against youths, street children and criminal suspects.

In this particular case, the two youths, along with other street children, were spotted by a man dressed in civilian clothes who walked towards them firing a gun in the air. As the frightened children tried to escape, the man fired his weapon, fatally wounding one youth and shooting another in the leg. One of the girls in the group ran after the attacker and asked him why he had shot at her friends, and the man replied, "And what about it? I'm a member of the DIC [Departmento de Investigaciones Criminalistas]." He then pointed his gun at her, but she ran away. Unfortunately, no effort was made to detain the suspect at the scene of the crime, despite the reported presence of several police officers in the area.

Witnesses to the attack, including the street children, were asked to identify photographs of members of the National Police on duty the night of the killing. However, because they feared for their lives, the children were too frightened to go to the police station and, under that pretext, further investigations were halted. Although a governmental commission on human rights acknowledges that the killer is "presumably" an agent in the security forces, no significant efforts have been made to find him.

Amnesty International is very concerned at the lack of progress made by Guatemalan authorities in identifying the person responsible for attacking these children, killing one and wounding another, over two years ago. Unfortunately, this case, like so many others in that country, reflects the blatant lack of political will by the government to investigate such crimes and bring the perpetrators to justice.

Background Information

According to non-governmental organizations, there are approximately 5,000 street children between the ages of 5 and 18 in Guatemala. Many are orphans, some of whom have been abandoned or disabled. They are dirt-poor and frequently resort to pickpocketing and other petty crimes in order to stay alive.

Between 1994 and 1996, Amnesty International documented serious human rights violations in Guatemala, including killings and torture of street children, criminals and suspected criminals. Such crimes were committed by members of the security forces, their civilian auxiliaries, members of the national police, private police officers, and vigilante groups operating with the tacit acceptance and approval of the security forces. Few of these cases were adequately investigated by Guatemalan authorities.

How you can help

Please send a letter to Guatemala's Minister of the Interior as soon as possible, but no later than October 1, 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, non-partisan (i.e., not used as a vehicle for political expression) and written with respect for the recipient. Be sure to include both your name and address, as well as the date, on your letter.

Questions?

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

To see the sample letter for this action, please 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.