1993 - Ramiro de León Carpio
Guatemala's 1985 Constitution calls for election by universal suffrage of a one-term President, a unicameral Congress, and municipal officers; it mandates an independent judiciary and a human rights ombudsman, who was elected by and reports to Congress. Midway through his 5-year term, after rising street protests, President Jorge Serrano suspended several sections of the Constitution and dissolved Congress and the Supreme and Constitutional Courts on May 25. After extremely negative domestic and international reaction to this extraconstitutional move, Serrano was peacefully and constitutionally dismissed on June 1. Congress and the courts were called back into session, and on June 5, Congress, as prescribed by the Constitution, elected then Human Rights Ombudsman Ramiro de Leon Carpio to finish Serrano's presidential term, which ends in January 1996.
The armed forces operate with considerable institutional and legal autonomy, particularly in security and military matters. President de Leon Carpio, as Commander in Chief, replaced two Defense Ministers with officers of his own choosing. The 43,000-man army, which had responsibility for national security, had fought a leftist insurgency for more than three decades. The National Police (12,000 strong) and Treasury Police (2,000) report to the Interior Minister and share responsibility for internal security with the army. A target of frequent criticism by human rights groups, the "Hunapu" anticrime task force patrols - composed of National Police, Treasury Police, and Mobile Military Police (PMA) - were eliminated during the year. However, in December, as part of a Christmastime anticrime effort, limited joint patrols were reinstituted in some communities.
The new President appointed a civilian as National Police chief in August, as well as other civilians to senior positions in the police and Ministry of Interior, and removed all military personnel from the police on August 27. Some 500,000 men serve in voluntary civil self-defense committees, commonly called Civil Defense Patrols (PAC's), some of which conduct counterinsurgency patrols in rural areas. The Human Rights Ombudsman and the Catholic Archbishop's Human Rights Office report that some PAC members were compelled to join the patrols, in violation of the Constitution. Security forces and especially PAC'S committed numerous serious human rights violations in 1993.
The agriculture-based, private sector-oriented economy was projected to grow approximately 4 percent in 1993, which would produce an increase in per capita income of about 1 percent. Inflation was expected to reach 12 percent. Guatemala had negotiated a shadow agreement with the International Monetary Fund, despite fiscal and monetary difficulties. There was a marked disparity in income distribution and poverty was pervasive, particularly in the large indigenous community.
Although there were improvements in the human rights situation in 1993, serious abuses occurred frequently. Statistics prepared by the Archbishop's Human Rights Office showed an increase in extrajudicial killings as of mid-December and a substantial increase in forced disappearances, with no improvement in other categories. Many of these violations occurred in the latter half of the year. The civil patrols, military, and police continued to commit a majority of the major violations, including extrajudicial killings, political kidnappings, and death threats. The seriousness of the continuing violations was underlined by the circulation in March of a "death list" containing 24 names and another in October with 23 names. However, no one on either list was kidnaped or killed.
The election of President de Leon Carpio, the highly respected former human rights ombudsman, raised hopes there would be a rapid improvement in the human rights situation. The new President encouraged human rights groups and showed a willingness to investigate abuses and to make structural changes, such as dismantling the "Archivos" presidential intelligence unit and restructuring the police, including creation of a special police unit to investigate all cases of forced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and other violations of a political nature allegedly committed by the police. Nevertheless, these changes failed to reduce the actual number of abuses allegedly committed by government forces. The 33-year-old internal insurgency continued to be a major cause of human rights violations. Both the security forces and the guerrillas committed numerous and serious human rights abuses. Guerrilla abuses included extrajudicial killings, kidnappings, forced labor recruitment, widespread use of mines and explosives in civilian areas, and the use of children in combat. Guerrilla attacks on infrastructure targets continued throughout the year.
Guatemala's armed internal conflict entered its 33rd year in 1993 and continued to be a major cause of human rights violations by both government and guerrilla forces. After a promising first half of the year, peace talks collapsed in early May. Human rights issues and the timing of a proposed cease-fire were primary areas of disagreement. The de Leon Carpio Government sought to renew the peace talks under a format allowing greater participation by other groups in Guatemalan society. Talks resumed under U.N. auspices in January 1994.
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