/* Written 12:10 am Sep 4, 1992 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.englibrary */
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Title: GUATEMALA: Bishop denounces army shelling of Indian villages
bonn, sep 1 (ips/carlos bendana) -- a bishop of the german
evangelical church repeated his claim here tuesday that the
guatemalan army has been shelling indigenous communities in south-
west guatemala.
bishop heinz joachim held led one of the two delegations which
visited between aug. 20-22 the guatemalan indigenous peoples of
caba, chajul, pueblo nuevo and los angeles in the southwestern
province of quiche.
the teams found that thousands of native farmers have been forced
to live in isolation as a result of the military repression
unleashed against them since the beginning of the eighties.
the delegation also wanted to verify denunciations to the effect
that the natives were also shelled by the army last july.
bishop held made known a report here drawn up by the german
'multi-party commission' which organised the two delegations
comprising journalists, human rights organisations and
representatives of the church. the report asserts that the reports
of artillery attacks on the communities were true.
''we were able to see the place where one of the shells fell and
the destruction it caused. on the same site we found an unexploded
50-kilo shell, as well as a shell splinter which fell on the
houses,'' noted the report.
''this shelling forced the native civilian population to leave
their homes, abandon their property and flee to the mountains,
there to take shelter from the elements. the living conditions in
their refuges, which are below ground, are inhuman,'' said the
report.
but the denunciations by the commission made on its return on
aug. 23 have been rejected by guatemalan defence minister, general
jose garcia, who flatly denies that the bombardment took place.
the assistant prosecutor for human rights of guatemala, cesar
alvarez, who was a member of one of the delegations, said that
more than 24,000 persons live in the zone, part of the 40,000
people displaced by the civil war.
referring to the remarks of the defence minister, bishop held
said tuesday that in one area ''we verified the existence of a
bomb crater filled with water, and we also found an unexploded
shell a few metres from one of the little houses.
''we have other indications, like sheets of corrugated iron from
the houses thrown into the nearby trees by the power of the
explosions, which prove that the houses of the indians had been
hit by shell fire.'' (more/ips)
guatemala: bishop denounces army shelling of indian villages(2-e)
guatemala: bishop denounces army (2)
the report also notes that ''violations of the human rights of
the peasant farmers in the zone are still going on, especially
affecting their personal security and physical integrity, their
freedom of movement and their right to market their produce''.
the report signatories said ''they listened to testimony and
concrete cases of whipping, illegal arrest, threats, destruction
and theft of crops, as well as shelling of work areas by the army.
''we received a denunciation of the death of domingo pascual
juan, 26, who unwittingly exploded a bomb placed under an empty
food shelf. a military patrol had left the bomb after stealing all
the his family's food supply and possessions.''
some of the population of this region belong to groups called
'peoples' resistance communities' (cprs). garcia says these cprs
are integral to the anti-government 'guatemalan national
revolutionary guerrilla movement' (urng)
however the members of the german commission said in their report
that ''we have proof and we can categorically affirm that such is
not the case. the cpr comprises peaceful civilian peasant farmers
who have been obliged to from solid organisations of their own, as
the only means enabling them to survive in conditions of total
forced isolation''.
the report demands that the government and the army ''recognise
the rights of the indians as civilians and allow them to circulate
freely and market their produce, likewise to visit and have
relations with members of their families and people in
neighbouring communities...''
the report also asks that ''the government and the army
immediately cease all types of hostile actions so that the natives
can live like human beings in conformity with what is established
in the constitution of the country and in international treaties
ratified by guatemala''.
the multiparty report concludes by pointing to the need ''to
respect the permanent presence and work of representatives of
religious and social organisations'' in order that they may help
these indigenous peoples.
bishop held said that he ''fully shared the conclusion that these
communities must be recognised as civilian populations and enjoy
the right to live in full sight of the public, like anyone else in
guatemala, without having to hide in the forest because they have
been identified as suspected of helping the guerrillas''.
(end/trd/np/cbp/da/tt/rj/92)