Military Zone 21 – CREOMPAZ
On January 6, 2016, 14 former military officers were arrested on charges of forced disappearance and crimes against humanity based on evidence uncovered at the CREOMPAZ military center in Cobán, Alta Verapaz. Now a United Nations peacekeeper training base, CREOMPAZ (Regional Training Command for Peacekeeping Operations) operated as a detention and clandestine execution center during Guatemala’s Internal Armed Conflict, when it was known as Military Zone 21. Between 2012 and 2015, the Forensic Anthropology Foundation of Guatemala (FAFG) carried out 14 exhumations at CREOMPAZ and found 558 human remains in fourteen graves, representing the largest known case of forced disappearance in Latin America.
Spanning crimes committed from 1981 – 1988, the Military Zone 21 (CREOMPAZ) case sets the record in Guatemala, not only for the number of disappeared victims, but also for the time span over which the crimes were committed. Among the high-ranking individuals indicted is Manuel Benedicto Lucas García, who served as former Army Chief of Staff during his brother’s 1978-1982 military dictatorship, and who is currently imprisoned for his role in crimes against humanity committed against the Molina Theissen family. The trial is an important step in the legal trajectory seeking justice for crimes against humanity and represents more than 30 years of hard work by survivor organizations.
In-depth NISGUA reports
The same people who carried out genocide in Nebaj were the same who carried out genocide in Plan de Sánchez and throughout Baja and Alta Verapaz. It’s important that the high- ranking military command are tried for these crimes.
Latest from our blog
Statement: For the self-determination of peoples and internationalist solidarity
[Español a continuación] The Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA) shares its position on the illegal military action carried out by the United States in Venezuela on January 3, 2026, which [...]
✊🏽 December Solidarity Update // Actualización Solidaria de Diciembre ✊🏽
The page turns on the Gregorian calendar, but time — like memory and resistance — moves to its own rhythm. Still, the opening of 2026 invites us to pause, take a breath, and thank [...]
Statement from ADH: Solidarity with Venezuela Against U.S. Military Strikes
Unofficial translation by the Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA). You can find the original statement in Spanish further below. TO THE NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC OPINION: On this January 3, [...]
Statement from the Peaceful Resistance La Puya on the ICSID Decision in KCA v. Guatemala
You can find the statement in Spanish further below. Statement from the Peaceful Resistance La Puya to the Guatemalan and International Community in response to the decision of the International Arbitration Tribunal (CIADI) in [...]
Press Release: New Suspension of Genocide Trial Perpetuates Impunity
Unofficial translation by the Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA). You can find the original statement in Spanish further below. PRESS RELEASE WE DEMAND THE FULFILLMENT OF THE HUMAN RIGHT TO [...]
✨ November Solidarity Update / Actualización Solidaria de Noviembre ✨
[Español a continuación] Every November 1st, giant kites fill the skies over cemeteries across Guatemala. These barriletes gigantes—intricately decorated with vibrant colors and ancestral symbols—rise as bridges between worlds, carrying messages to those [...]