Listen to PBI on Democracy Now! in May 1998 interview with Amy Goodman

On May 4, 1998, Amy Goodman interviewed Liam Mahony of Peace Brigades International about our accompaniment work and the vision of the organization.

It’s a fascinating glimpse into our history.

Liam began working with Peace Brigades International in Guatemala in 1987 and co-founded PBI’s field presence in Haiti (that ran from 1992 to 2001).

He is also the coauthor of Unarmed Bodyguards: International Accompaniment for the Protection of Human Rights, a book that “presents the theory and practice of PBI’s pioneering methods of human rights protection through international accompaniment of those whose lives and work are threatened by violence.”

The Democracy Now! interview took place just days after the murder of Bishop Juan Gerardi.

Recollecting the early days of PBI, Daniel N. Clark, one of the founders of PBI in September 1981, writes about an exploratory meeting Bishop Gerardi in 1983.

GHRC has explained, “Before his death in 1998, Roman Catholic Archbishop and human rights defender Juan José Gerardi Conedera was one of the strongest voices speaking out against the atrocities committed during the internal armed conflict.”

“On April 24, 1998, Gerardi presented the findings of the REMHI project in a report entitled “Nunca Más” (Never Again). The report was particularly damning to the Guatemalan military… On April 26, 1998, two days after the release of the report, Bishop Gerardi was bludgeoned to death in his home in Guatemala City.”

Since 1999, the Juan Gerardi Human Rights Centre (CDHJG) has been working in the lake region of Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico promoting a culture of peace and respect for human rights. The Peace Brigades International-Mexico Project has accompanied the organization since February 2014 due to the ongoing risks it faces.

To listen to the 18-minute Democracy Now! interview, please click here.