September 2, 2024, Hearing 68

On Monday, September 2, the expert Guillermo Vázquez appeared at the Court via zoom call from the Guatemalan consulate in Mexico.

His first expert report corresponds to the one carried out in the Xecax canton, where 34 skeletons were recovered, of which 31 were identified. The expert pointed out that some remains were consumed by fire, and that some skeletons had gunshot wounds. According to the testimonies of this massacre, days before a soldier died when the transport in which he was traveling passed over a mine that the guerrillas had placed on the road. The villagers were accused of supporting the subversive forces and of having been part of the attack.

The second expert analysis was carried out due to a report of the disappearance of 3 people, whose remains were found in Santa Marta, Quiché, however only 2 of the victims were identified.

The third expert report corresponds to the exhumation of 1 victim who was killed by guatemalan soldiers on September 21, 1982 in the village of Palob. His relatives buried him in a clandestine grave.

The fourth expert report describes the patterns of violence found in the skeletons. The expert indicated that some remains showed signs of having been burned and others had gunshot wounds. This made it clear how the armed forces acted when attacking civilian populations. The expert’s report coincided with the survivors’ testimonies.

Source: Verdad y Justicia

En la foto se observa un tribunal, en los laterales hay mesas donde hay sentadas varias personas hombres y mujeres, al fondo detras de una pantalla de vidrio hay dos hombres y una mujer y detras de ellos una pantalla donde se observan dos personas /// The photo shows a court, on the sides there are tables where several men and women are seated, in the background behind a glass screen there are two men and a woman and behind them a screen where two people can be seen.

Expert witness Guillermo Vázquez  ratified his expert opinions via zoom from the Guatemalan consulate in Mexico. Picture by Verdad y Justicia