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At the forum "Young and Committed", Commissioner Iván Velásquez called upon the youth to join forces in fighting impunity.

PRESS RELEASE 080

LETTER ADDRESSED TO PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF GUATEMALA OTTO PÉREZ MOLINA

Guatemala, October 11, 2012.

Your Excellency, President Otto Pérez Molina:

I have the honor to transmit herewith, with utmost respect, an opinion regarding the regrettable occurrences that took place on October 4 in Totonicapán, whereby six persons lost their lives and dozens were left wounded by military action to disperse a civilian demonstration.

The position of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala regarding the participation of the Army in police matters, for the following unequivocal reasons, has been respectful yet critical:

  1. All steps taken by the police respect the lives and integrity of others, including persons who are in breach of the law and, possibly, the object of an operation. The police use force as a last resort. The military, when necessary, prepare to triumph in war using force as a method of the first order. It is, therefore, logical that the Army provides for the security needs of a country in the face of attacks from foreign powers and it never assumes the responsibility of ensuring citizen security.
  2. In consequence, the police are the only institution with jurisdiction—by virtue of the police academy training—to deploy the use of force, as and only when necessary, against the civilian population. As a result, it can be deemed normal for police to disperse violent protests using shields, vests, batons, tear gas, water cannons and other such methods that keep damage inflicted upon persons to a minimum. Firearms are never used.
  3. Deaths are common when the military is deployed in police operations (concerning civilians), whereas when police respond to an incident, it is rare that harm be caused to the lives and physical integrity of persons.
  4. The participation of the military in civilian disputes exacerbates damage without achieving results. As far as the Totonicapán case is concerned, not only did citizens exercising their freedom to protest lose their lives, but also the original political problem has intensified.
  5. The treatment of criminal or public order incidents is a police matter through which freedoms must be restored and not a "win or die" military task.

Thus, your decision not to deploy the Army to disperse public protests is the right one. However, CICIG, with utmost respect, recommends the following:

  1. Promote reform to prohibit military participation in criminal and police matters.
  2. Reaffirm the Government's position in relation to strengthening preventative and investigative policing.

In this manner, further progress would be made toward consolidating a democracy that respects fundamental rights.

CICIG pledges to continue its efforts, along with Minister of the Interior Mauricio López Bonilla, to strengthen civil security institutions.

Yours sincerely,


Francisco Javier Dall´Anese Ruiz
Commissioner

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        About Guatemala
  The Republic of Guatemala, a mountainous country that lies in the Central American isthmus, has an estimated population of 13 million people.
  Guatemala won its independence in 1821, following almost three centuries of Spanish colonial rule.
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