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Archived Urgent Action
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According to information received by KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives, Manuel Garcia de la Cruz left his home in the community of Chuchuca in the northwestern highlands of Guatemala on the night of September 6, 2002, and travelled in the direction of the town of Joyabaj to buy corn. He never returned and members of his community later found his tortured body. He had been decapitated and his ears, nose and eyes cut out. Manuel Garcia de la Cruz was an active supporter of CONAVIGUA, an organization which has been supported by the Canadian churches since its creation in 1988. |
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(See the International Human Right Day page for more action background information)
Lic. Gabriel Orellana Rojas
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores
2a Avenida 4-47, Zona 10
Ciudad de Guatemala,
GUATEMALA
Fax: 011 (502) 331 7938 or 331 8410
E-mail: despacho@minex.gob.gt
Dear Minister:
I am writing to express my deep concern for the safety of members of the National Coordination of Guatemalan Widows (CONAVIGUA) following the torture and murder of a close associate of the organization, Manuel Garcia de la Cruz.
According to information received by KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives, Manuel Garcia de la Cruz left his home in the community of Chuchuca in the northwestern highlands of Guatemala on the night of September 6, 2002, and travelled in the direction of the town of Joyabaj to buy corn. He never returned and members of his community later found his tortured body. He had been decapitated and his ears, nose and eyes cut out.
Manuel Garcia de la Cruz was an active supporter of CONAVIGUA, an organization which has been supported by the Canadian churches since its creation in 1988. Over the years, many CONAVIGUA members have suffered death threats and intimidation as a result of their work in defense of human rights. Prior to his assassination, Manuel Garcia de la Cruz had been assisting CONAVIGUA in its efforts to press for exhumations of the many mass graves where indigenous victims of the massacres carried out by the Guatemalan army and the civil patrols were anonymously buried.
CONAVIGUA believes that the brutal torture and murder of Manuel Garcia de la Cruz are intended as a warning to its members and their families because of their work for reconciliation, peace and justice in Guatemala. The organization fears that local civil patrollers - who served as civilian auxiliaries to the military during Guatemala's long-term civil conflict - may have been involved in his torture and extrajudicial execution.
I ask you to ensure that there is a full and impartial investigation into the murder of Manuel Garcia de la Cruz and that the perpetrators of this crime are brought to justice. I also urge you to take measures to ensure the safety of CONAVIGUA and its members as they carry out their important human rights work.
Sincerely,
cc.
Carlos Humberto Jimenez Licona, Ambassador for Guatemala
130 Albert Street, Suite 1010, Ottawa, Ontario, K1P 5G4.
Fax: (613) 233-0135.
Email: embassy1@embaguate-canada.com
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