Above all, it is necessary to recognise the facts of history and learn from the Nation s suffering. To a great extent, the future of Guatemala depends on the responses of the State and society to the tragedies that nearly all Guatemalans have experienced personally. The erroneous belief that the end justifies the means converted Guatemala into a country of death and sadness. It should be remembered, once and for all, that there are no values superior to the lives of human beings, and thereby superior to the existence and well-being of an entire national community. The State has no existence of its own, but rather is purely an organisational tool by which a nation addresses its vital interests.
Thousands are dead.
Reconciliation, for those who remain, is impossible without justice. With sadness and pain we have fulfilled the mission entrusted to us. We place the CEH s Report, this Memory of Silence, into the hands of every Guatemalan, the men and women of yesterday and today, so that future generations may be aware of the enormous calamity and tragedy suffered by their people. May the lessons of this Report help us to consider, hear and understand others and be creative as we live in peace.