Guate: Rios Montt genocide trial / 2nd day of conclusions, Prosecution wraps up

[Catherina]

61. AJR: "we indigenous were accused of being terrorists, communists, subversives & genocide committed'

Rios Montt Trial ‏@RiosMonttTrial 17m

The representative from AJR Benjamin Geronimo asked to give a final statement. #Riosmontt #GenocidioGT #Guatemala

NISGUA ‏@NISGUA_Guate 16m

In #GenocideGT courtroom, Association of Justice and Reconcilation President Benjamin Jerónimo is given opportunity to speak.

NISGUA ‏@NISGUA_Guate 16m

- #BenjaminJerónimo: Good afternoon honorable court, thank you for the space to be able to speak.



- I want to say that I'm also a survivor of massacre of 256 members of my community in the time of #RíosMontt

-The state has an obligation to protect life, security, and peace - but the army did the opposite.

- In that time, 1982, we indigenous were accused of being terrorists, communists, subversives and #genocide was committed.

- I ask you for justice for everything that we suffered. I saw it all with my own eyes.

- Our lawyers are threatened of being terrorist, but a terrorist never comes to ask for justice as we have in this tribunal

- I beg you to do justice for the victims, so survivors feel peace, that they can have new trust in the authorities.

- We are not animals, dogs, or any other kind of animal. We are human beings & we have rights to life, protection, peace, & security

- So much has been discussed for the truth. And again they accuses us of being subversives and communists"

- I beg of you, once again, to do justice and conform to right to justice in GUA, international treaties & conventions.

- We aren't looking for vengence, we look for real peace w/justice, respect, equality & dignity, that's why we're here.

- Geronimo: Now is the time to no longer to have the army in our communities, continuing to threaten the Ixil and Maya population.

- "This is why the peace accords were signed - to respect our rights." Geronimo ends statement to a roar of applause from audience.

- #BenjaminJerónimo concludes: It's easier for a camel to pass thru eye of a needle than for a rich genocidal person to enter the kingdom of God. .

NISGUA ‏@NISGUA_Guate 10m

#BenjaminJerónimo told us in an exclusive interview as #GenocideGT trial began, "It is our right to demand justice"

Exclusive Interview with the AJR: "It is our right to demand justice and reveal the truth"

Before the start of the genocide trial in Guatemala, the international human rights accompaniment project ACOGUATE met with Benjamin Jerónimo, president and legal representative of the Association for Justice and Reconciliation (AJR) to hear his opinion on the advancement of the case. The AJR is a plaintiff in the trial that opened on March 19 against Efraín Ríos Montt and José Mauricio Rodríguez Sánchez. This exclusive interview was originally published in Spanish on ACOGUATE's blog. Translation by NISGUA.


Benjamin Jerónimo, President of the AJR Photo: Kevin Hayes

...
What will it mean for Guatemala if this case is won?

It will mean that there is justice for all, no matter the rank or economic status of the person. This has never before been achieved in Guatemala. It would set a precedent for our community and for other countries that are also in the process of seeking justice. Moreover, it would set a precedent for the youth, for those who are with us today and those who are to come, so that they know the truth. They have to know what a dirty war is, a war in which people were taken advantage of, who had no way of defending themselves, and were not guilty of what they were being accused.

What are your long-term vision and hope for this case and the fight against impunity?

We hope for a firm sentence. Maybe it won't be from one day to the next, but there is hope that the new generations will have a better future as a result of this process. We want the rights of the indigenous peoples and communities, those who were most discriminated against during the war, to be respected. We demand that the State treat all people as equals, regardless of their history or origin. We also hope that with this sentence, the impunity in this country will be reduced, both for the crimes committed during the armed conflict and for the crimes of today. What the Association hopes for is a definitive change in favor of equality.

nisgua.blogspot.com/2013/04/exclusive-interview-with-ajr-it-is-our_8.html?spref=tw

NISGUA ‏@NISGUA_Guate 11m

#BenjaminJerónimo leaves #GenocideGT stand accompanied by booming applause and chants of "Justice! Justice!"

Renata Avila ‏@avilarenata 12m

Someone from the Ixil Region said: "We have the first chance to judge a genocide, after 500 years" #genocidegt

Xeni Jardin ‏@xeni 12m

Note: Asociacion de Justicia y Reconciliacion (AJR)’s Benjamin Jerónimo is basically the individual plaintiff in this case.