From: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu (Rich Winkel)
Subject: GUATEMALA: VICTIMS OF REPRESSION TO SEEK COMPENSATION
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: PACH
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1992 08:15:21 GMT

/** reg.guatemala: 89.0 **/
** Topic: IPS:Victims of Repression **
** Written  1:48 pm  Sep 24, 1992 by hrcoord in cdp:reg.guatemala **
From: Human Rights Coordinator <hrcoord>
Subject: IPS:Victims of Repression

/* Written 12:14 am  Sep 24, 1992 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.englibrary */
Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: GUATEMALA: VICTIMS OF REPRESSION TO SEEK COMPENSATION

guatemala city, sep 21 (ips) -- guatemala's victims of
''repression and impunity'' have announced their intention to
seek government compensation for the material losses suffered
during the past ten years of armed conflict.

''we're seeking compensation for the material losses caused by
the army'' since the early 1980's, said lorenzo perez, leader of
the national commission for displaced persons (condeg).

the announcement came at the start of a two-day conference of
organisations representing guatemala's civil war victims, whose
proposals will be incorporated into the peace negotiations which
began in april 1991 between the government and the national
revolutionary unit of guatemala (urng).

the ''victims of repression and impunity'' are represented by
eight organisations of displaced persons, refugees, widows,
indigenous groups and relatives of dispppeared political
detainees, who were affected by the violence of the past decade.

perez said the compensation claims would be limited to
material losses, since ''all the money in the world could not
compensate for the many lives lost,'' during the conflict.

guatemala's 30-year civil war has left 100,000 dead, 60,000
widowed and 45,000 'disappeared'. 200,000 people fled into
neighbouring countries to escape the violence and another 1.5
million were internally displaced, including about 26,000
civilian peasants resisting forcible recruitment into the army.

perez said the ''immense'' material losses had not yet been
''quantified''. he said the army had burnt down people's homes,
destroyed harvests, stolen livestock and even deprived peasants
of essential possessions such as farming implements and clothes.

referring to the peace talks between the government, the army
and the urng, perez said ''we will demand direct participation at
the negotiating table,'' because ''we believe none of the parties
involved in the dialogue represents the civilian sectors.''

perez said victims' organisations hoped all parties would
comply with the peace accords that might emerge from the
dialogue, but stressed that ''it's not just a question of signing
a document, but of finding solutions to the social, economic and
political problems that affect guatemalans.''

he added that the conference of victims' organisations would
also demand an end to repression and the ''removal of all army
controls in our communities.''
(ends/ips/trd/sp or en/ff/cs/cg/92)
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