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May 17, 2011 12:49 am PDT
Original Link: http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/25C5GhIUhUs/guatemala-27-massacr.html
Guatemala: 27 massacred, decapitated in Petn by paramilitary drug gang Los Zetas
Written in blood on the wall, in Spanish: "What's up, Otto Salguero [where are you]? Bastard, we are going to find you [and leave you like this]. —Sincerely, Z200." Guatemalan media reports Otto Salguero is the owner of the ranch where 27 workers were killed, most decapitated, yesterday. He is believed to be a narco in conflict with the Zetas. On a farm in the northern Petn region of Guatemala yesterday, 27 Mayan peasants were murdered—almost all of them decapitated— after refusing to tell a group of some 200 armed men where to find the ranch owner (his whereabouts are still unknown). Guatemalan authorities say none of the victims were involved in drug trafficking, all were innocent farmworkers. Among the dead were two women and two children. One man survived; he told authorities he pretended to be dead after the attackers stabbed him. This may be the worst single incident of violence since the country's 36-year civil war ended, and is seen by many in the country as a symbolic act of political terror, while the nation prepares for presidential elections. Messages at the scene literally written in the victims' blood make clear who is responsible: Los Zetas, a paramilitary Mexican drug gang that in recent years has expanded throughout Central America and operates with particular impunity and freedom within Guatemala. The organization has long recruited from the ranks of kaibiles, the elite special forces division of the Guatemalan army trained in jungle warfare who carried out massacres of indigenous peasants during the civil war. The brutality evidenced in this massacre, even the killing techniques, brings to mind the death squad attacks in this same region 40 years ago. Renata Avila at Global Voices has a thorough roundup of news links and updates from people in Petn who posted first-hand observations and photos to Twitter. The violence continued today. AP: Two men were killed and one suspect in the massacre was taken into custody after a confrontation with police Monday morning, while grenades were tossed at a home and business in a town near San Benito, where the bodies were taken for identification. At the top and inset of this post, above: photographs tweeted from the scene by Twitter user Tekandi Paniagua, who traveled there today, as did Guatemalan president Alvaro Colom with senior members of the Guatemalan government and military police. Tweeting from the site, Tekandi described what he saw as "scenes from a horror movie," with the farmworkers' residences torn apart, belongings shredded, blood everywhere. Tekandi described what he witnessed as "unforgettable and horrendous," adding, "I honestly believe that [now] only God can rescue Guatemala." The massacre took place in a small pueblo in the jungle about 275 miles (440 km) north of the nation's capital, Guatemala City. The site is close to the Mexican border, and not far from the town of La Libertad: Google Maps link here. The Pten region has become increasingly lawless in recent years as the power and presence of drug cartels grows; some refer to it as the country's "Wild West." As regular readers of this blog know, I have traveled and worked as a volunteer extensively in Guatemala. I have avoided the Petn over the past couple of years as security conditions grew poorer, for locals and foreigners alike. This region is rich in pre-Columbian history: it's where some of the greatest ruins of the ancient Maya are located, including Tikal. In much of the sparsely populated Petn, there are more plants and wildlife than there are humans. The infrastructure throughout is limited. Narcos aside, the people here are among the country's poorest. News coverage: Prensa Libre (Spanish, includes video); BBC News, Reuters, Associated Press, CNN, Below, graphic photos from Reuters taken today that show Guatemalan police standing by the decapitated bodies. Click to un-mosaic and view photos unaltered. [WARNING, GRAPHIC IMAGES]...
Original Link: http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/25C5GhIUhUs/guatemala-27-massacr.html
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