By
Phil Neff, CAMINOS Accompanier
The
following is our first letter from Phil “Felipe” Neff, CAMINOS'
eleventh human rights accompanier. CAMINOS and the Congregational
Church of Needham, Massachusetts will co-sponsor Phil as he accompanies
witnesses testifying against former military commanders charged
with genocide. He will be accompanying in the Ixcán region
in the area NISGUA refers to as “the jungle trek”. As Phil describes
below there have been setbacks and delays in these important trials,
and international accompaniment is one way to stand in solidarity
with those who demand justice in Guatemala.
Queridos
compañer@s,
Greetings
from Quetzaltenango, Guatemala! I arrived here in mid-December
and have been reviewing and improving my Spanish skills for the
past few weeks. I will soon be heading to Guatemala City to begin
training for my role as a human rights accompanier with NISGUA.
I am extremely proud to represent the U.S. human rights community
through my work here in Guatemala in the indigenous Mayan communities
of Santa María Tzeja and Cuarto Pueblo in the Quiché.
I am also excited to be able to introduce myself to the supporters
of CAMINOS and the Denver Justice and Peace Committee, who make
human rights accompaniment in Guatemala possible.
I
was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest and until traveling
to Guatemala I had been living in Seattle, Washington, where I
studied creative writing and human rights at the University of
Washington. It was through a UW study-abroad program that I first
became involved in human rights issues in Guatemala. Like many
others from the privileged North first facing the reality of life
in a less-developed country—let alone a country that, like Guatemala,
only recently emerged from a bloody 36-year conflict—I
was overwhelmed by the magnitude of poverty, violence, and suffering
which the majority of Guatemalans face every day. Yet amidst these
horrors I found a powerful source of hope in the example of the
courageous survivors and committed activists who risk their very
lives to promote truth, justice, and human rights in their country.
How could I ever repay them for the inspiration and education
that they had given me? I believe human rights accompaniment is
one small step in the lifelong mission of living up to their example.
Despite
a few days of the usual stomach issues, my time so far in Guatemala
has been very good-my Spanish is improving poco a poco,
I have climbed the volcano Chicabal and been showered by ash from
the neighboring volcano Santiagüito, and have visited the
Mayan saint San Simón in San Andrés Xecúl.
However, my work as an accompanier will begin under the shadow
of some bad news. On December 17 th the Constitutional Court of
Guatemala ruled against the extradition of former military officials
to stand trial in Spain for crimes against humanity, war crimes,
and genocide. This is a blow against the movement for justice
in Guatemala and a demonstration of continued impunity for those
who have committed the worst crimes imaginable. Moreover, it is
a violation of international law, which under the principle of
universal jurisdiction allows for the prosecution of
such crimes in the legal system of any country in the world.
However,
the movement for justice in Guatemala will struggle onwards. Two
legal cases against the same accused genocidios continue
in the national courts—it is the courageous witnesses involved
in these cases who I will be accompanying during my time in Guatemala.
I hope that I will be able to perform this unique work in a spirit
of humility, openness, respect, and solidarity. I can't say that
I am not apprehensive, but I also cannot wait to begin. Thank
you for your continued support and I look forward to communicating
with you all during my time in Guatemala .
En
solidaridad,
Phíl
“Felípe” Neff
Quetzaltenango,
Guatemala
