Guatemala
Violence Against Women.- TAKE ACTION!!!!
Brief description
of the situation
The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by Casa Alianza,
a member of the OMCT network, of the rape and shooting of a street girl by two
private policemen in Guatemala City, Guatemala.
According to the information received, an 18 year-old girl has been raped and shot in the throat in the early hours of May 9th 2001, in Guatemala City, by two private policemen from the Galil security guard company. The victim, a street-youth named Sandra Herlinda Ponceano Ichiche, was in an abandoned building at the corner of 6th Avenue and 24th street in Zone 4 of Guatemala with several other street-children and - youths, when two armed men entered the building and demanded that the youths give them drugs or a girl with whom to have sex, while threatening them with their guns. The men then closed in on Sandra, put a gun to her head and took her away to the adjacent former Banco de la Vivienda (BANVI) building, which the men were supposed to be guarding.
According to the other youths, who will remain unnamed for their own safety, the men took Sandra up to the third floor of the BANVI building and kept her there for 30-45 minutes. During this time, Sandra was reportedly raped by the policeman wearing plain clothes, while the uniformed policeman held her down. The men then shot Sandra in the throat after she cried out for help, and left her there bleeding profusely. One of the street-youths called for an ambulance after the men had left, and ten minutes later Sandra was transported to the San Juan de Dios hospital in a critical condition, where she underwent emergency surgery.Thankfully, the bullet missed both her artery and bones, and she is now out of danger. She will be released into Casa Alianza's care this week. Sandra has been part of Casa Alianza's residential programs over the last few years.
Casa Alianza has lodged a formal complaint with both the National Civilian Police's Homicide Department and the Public Prosecutor's Office. Casa Alianza's investigations have revealed that the 22 year-old uniformed policeman's surname is Cano, and that he is being held by the security company he works for. Cano's service weapon has been identified by forensic tests as the gun used to shoot Sandra, despite attempts made by the men to clean the barrel.
The plain-clothes policeman's surname is Revolorio, but his whereabouts are currently unknown, according to reports. Revolorio is around 1.72m tall, with a thin moustache, combed back hair, and a fair complexion, according to one of the street-children who witnessed the events. According to Sandra's testimony, once she had recovered enough to give it, Revolorio boasted that she was the eigth street-girl he had raped.
Casa Alianza's legal aid program is reportedly attempting to verify that the hospital documented the fact that Sandra had been raped during her ordeal. OMCT is gravely concerned for the physical and psycholigical integrity Sandra Herlinda Ponceano Ichiche, and more generally for that of all of Guatemalaås street-children and -youths, given the vulnerability of the homeless children and youths and the lack of prosecution of the police.
Action requested
Please write to the authorities in Guatemala urging them to:
1. take all necessary measures to guarantee Sandra Herlinda Ponceano Ichicheås physical and psychological integrity, and, more generally, that of all of Guatemalaås street-youths and children;
2. guarantee that Sandra receive adequate reparation;
3. guarantee an immediate investigation into the circumstances of these events, identify those responsible, bring them before a civil competent and impartial tribunal and apply the penal, civil and/or administrative sanctions provided by law;
4. guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national laws and international human rights standards.
Addresses -
S.E. Lic. Alfonso Antonio Portillo Cabrera,
Presidente de la Repœblica de Guatemala,
6a. Avenida ®AÖ 4-18, Zona 1,
Ciudad de Guatemala
Guatemala.
Fax: + 502 238 3579 / 221 4423 / 221 4537
E-mail : secgralp@infovia.com.gt -
S. E. Sr. Byron Barrientos,
Ministro de Gobernacion
Ministerio de GobernaciÇn,
6÷ Avenida 4-64, Zona 4,
Ciudad de Guatemala
Guatemala.
Fax: + 502 362 0239 -
Sr. Procurador de Derechos Humanos,
12 Avenida 12-72, Zona 1,
Guatemala, Guatemala.
Fax : + 502 238 17 34 -
Sr. Fiscal General de la NaciÇn,
Ministerio Pœblico,
6 Av 3-11, Zona 4,
Guatemala. Guatemala.
Fax : + 502 331 4336 -
Sr. Rudio Lecs‡n MÉrida,
Director General de la Polic"a Nacional Civil,
6÷ Avenida 13-71, Zona 1,
Ciudad de Guatemala
Guatemala.
Fax: + 502 251 9382 -
Presidencia Comision Presidencial de Derechos Humanos (Copredeh)
E-mail : copredeh@guate.net -
Sr. Ministro de Relaciones Exteriores,
Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Palacio Nacional,
6 Calle y 7 Avenida, Zona 1,
Guatemala, Guatemala.
Fax : + 502 251 8445
E-mail : mint@mieno.gt -
Sr. Ministro de Defensa,
Ministerio de Defensa, Palacio Nacional,
Guatemala, Guatemala.
Fax : + 502 2 317084
S.E. Juan Francisco Reyes Lopez,
Vicepresidente de la Repœblica de Guatemala,
Palacio Nacional,
Guatemala, Guatemala.
Fax : + 502 2214537 or 230-1508
E-mail : secgralp@infovia.com.gt
Please also write to the embassies of Guatemala in your respective country.
Geneva, May 16, 2001
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.
Organisation Mondiale Contre la Torture (OMCT)
World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)
OrganizaciÇn Mundial Contra la Tortura (OMCT)
8 rue du Vieux-Billard Case postale 21 CH-1211
Geneve 8 Suisse/Switzerland
Tel. : 0041 22 809 49 39
Fax : 0041 22 809 49 29
E-mail : omct@omct.org http://www.omct.org