Genocide In Guatemala

Oscar Castaneda, a survivor of the slaughter of Dos Erres that occurred during the civil war in Guatemala.

In 1982, the Guatemalan military massacred the villagers of Dos Erres, killing more than 200 people. This is the true story of Oscar Alfredo Ramírez Castañeda and genocide in Guatemala. Guatemala is a mainly mountainous country in Central America.

After a religious ceremony, a procession of nearby residents carried the urns with the remains of the victims of the massacre at Dos Erres to the cemetery of a nearby village to bury them in a collective grave. (Silvana Turner/EAAF)

Civil war existed in Guatemala since the early 1960s due in part to inequalities existing in the economic and political life. In the 1970s, the Mayans began participating in protests against the repressive government, demanding greater equality and inclusion of the Mayan language and culture. In 1980, the Guatemalan army instituted Operation Sofia, which aimed at ending insurgent guerrilla warfare. This program specifically targeted the Mayan population, who were believed by the Guatemalan army to be supporting the guerilla movement.

A view of the base of the well and the remains of a child. By the end of the Argentine team's investigation, at least 162 skeletons were recovered. (Silvana Turner/EAAF)

Over the next three years, the army destroyed 626 villages, killed or “disappeared” more than 200,000 people and displaced an additional 1.5 million, while more than 150,000 were driven to seek refuge in Mexico.
Podcast source: This American Life: What Happened At Dos Erres

General Ríos was the first ex-head of state to stand trial on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity in his home country. President Reagan is on the right. This photo is from December 5, 1982.

Clinton States Support for Guatemala Was Wrong

GUATEMALA, March 10, 1999 — President Clinton apologized today for United States support of right-wing governments in Guatemala that killed tens of thousands of rebels and Mayan Indians in a 36-year civil war.

"For the United States," Mr. Clinton said, "it is important that I state clearly that support for military forces and intelligence units which engaged in violence and widespread repression was wrong, and the United States must not repeat that mistake."

Source: Washington Post: Clinton: Support for Guatemala Was Wrong

Also see
The New York Times: Clinton Offers His Apologies To Guatemala
Finding Oscar: Massacre, Memory and Justice in Guatemala
This American Life on Guatemalan Genocide
Washington's role is a story not worth telling by Keane Bhatt

Why Civil Resistance Movements Succeed

Steve Inskeep talks to Erica Chenoweth and Maria Stephan about why non-violent resistance campaigns work better than armed rebellion.
Podcast source: npr: Why Civil Resistance Movements Succeed

The Growing Threat From Methane

Over the short term, methane is 80 times more powerful as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. The White House has launched plans to control methane emissions from most U.S. sources, but as Helen Palmer and Michael Obeiter tell Steve Curwood, evidence from prehistory suggests methane was a major factor in Earth's largest extinction, and warming projections warn of ballooning emissions in the future.
Podcast source: living on earth: The Growing Threat From Methane
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