PBI-Guatemala accompanies the commemoration of the National Day of Dignity of the Victims of the Internal Armed Conflict

Published by Brent Patterson on February 26, 2025February 26, 2025

On February 25, PBI-Guatemala posted on social media:

“Today #PBIacompanies the march for the Day of Dignity of Victims of Internal Armed Conflict which honors the memory of loved ones missing and killed by the military in the war. The protesters remembered their lives and claim their struggles for land, community development and peace.”

EFE reports: “500 people [marched] in the main streets of Guatemala City on Tuesday in commemoration of the National Day of Dignity of the Victims of the Internal Armed Conflict, which is celebrated every February 25.”

The march went from the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ) to the Plaza de las Niñas.

That article also highlights: “Hundreds of Guatemalan indigenous people, survivors and relatives of victims of the internal armed conflict (1960-1996) denounced that in recent years justice processes for war crimes have regressed, and demand that the government of President Bernardo Arévalo de León comply with the peace agreements.”

And it quotes Feliciana Macario, a member of the national platform of victims of the armed conflict who identifies as a Quiché Maya, who says: “The state has a commitment to the surviving families and it is a day to demand that they have not complied with the peace agreements after 40 years.”

Photo: PBI-Guatemala at the commemoration.

Prensa Comunitaria adds: “Approximately 200,000 people [were] murdered and 45,000 disappeared by the military dictatorships that sowed terror in the country from 1960 to 1996.”

Of those victims identified in the U.N.-sponsored Historical Clarification Commission, 83 percent were indigenous Maya. 93 percent of these human rights violations were carried out by government forces.

That article further notes: “During the activities, the Achi’ women, Ixil women and the grandmothers of Sepur Zarco; the National Coordinator of Widows of Guatemala (Conavigua), the Association of Relatives of Detainees of Guatemala (Famdegua), the Mutual Support Group (GAM), the Association of University Students (AEU), the Human Rights Office of the Archdiocese of Guatemala (ODHAG), Sentinels for the Dignity of the State, the Civil Association Truth and Life, and other organizations that make up the National Platform of Victims of the CAI, denounced the indifference of the Government of Bernardo Arévalo – who received massive support from the indigenous communities of the highlands – with the survivors and their families.”

Macario is also quoted in this article and says: “It has been more than 5 years without a single measure of reparation being delivered to the victims of the Internal Armed Conflict. Meanwhile, a budget expansion was approved to continue paying the military who participated in the crimes of the past.”

And Emisoras Unidas Digital also notes: “In this context, [Macario] indicated that they are demanding that President Bernardo Arévalo urgently approve the governmental agreement to create the National Plan for Dignification and Reparation, as well as the plans to search for missing persons. It is also necessary for the justice system to reverse the resolutions in cases related to the conflict where those involved in atrocious acts have benefited.”

We continue to follow this.