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
John Sutton Presente!
John Sutton, presente! John Sutton, tireless community leader for peoples' liberation struggles, has left a void that is impossible to fill. His legacy, marked by his unwavering commitment to awareness and action for justice [...]
Actualización caso Genocidio Ixil. Del 22 al 25 de abril de 2024.
Esta semana en la sala de audiencia hay colocados biombos que protegen la identidad de las mujeres víctimas de violencia sexual quienes brindaron su testimonio. Acompañaron en la sala de audiencias representantes de las [...]
Ixil Genocide Case update. April 22nd -25th, 2024.
This week, they placed screens in the courtoom that protect the identities of the women who were victims of sexual violence as they gave their testimony. With them in the courtroom were representatives of [...]
Estado del Caso: Genocidio Ixil, periodo de gobierno del general Fernando Romeo Lucas García (01 de julio de 1978 al 23 de marzo de 1982).
Antecedentes. Después de 36 años, Guatemala puso fin al Conflicto Armado Interno –CAI-, con el definitivo cese al fuego y la firma del Acuerdo de Paz firme y duradera el 29 de diciembre de [...]
Caso Genocidio Ixil-Lucas García
Durante la época del gobierno militar de Romeo Lucas García (1978-1982), el Estado y el ejército guatemaltecos diseñaron e implementaron su política de genocidio. Mientras Romero Lucas García estuvo en el poder, más de [...]
Actualización solidaria de abril
¡Bienvenides a la actualización solidaria de Abril! En este boletín, compartimos sobre el desarrollo del caso por Genocidio Ixil, a través de testimonios de sobrevivientes y expertos, conoceremos cómo este proceso llevado a cabo [...]