““I am very happy to be able to follow the path of justice, today I offer a greeting to all
women” said the president of the Collective Jalok U, a woman survivor of Sepur Zarco.
The president of the Collective in different occasions expressed her happiness when she
mentioned that 30 years have gone by before being able to find justice and today they can
advance in the path that they started. She recognizes that they dealt with fear, they
thought and had to analyze that it was crucial to tell what they had gone through at the
military settlement Sepur Zarco so that history would not repeat itself.
The survivor pointed out that in their path to search for justice it’s been important the
solidarity and companionship of the women from other communities, towns and
organizations; additionally she said that the women survivors are organized through
Collective Jalok U, change of face in the q’eqchi language, and that being organized has
been important to feel the unity and strength so they are not afraid of speaking.
“We cried allot when we spoke, when we shared what had happened to us”, said the
representative of the women; additionally she said that when they initiated the process of
searching for formal justice they felt pain and thought better not to speak about it
because when they spoke of what had happened that caused them to hurt and feel pain.
“So those who listen will know that we are saying the truth”, “I find myself in this
important struggle of keep looking for my husband…”, “…what I want is to find my
happiness and find justice for us so that we can be in peace”, the president of Collective
Jalok U ended saying.
The 11 q’eqchi women victims of sexual violence, sexual and domestic slavery done by the
army of Guatemala during the internal armed conflict, were lcated at the right side of the
Visitors Room of the Supreme Court of Justice; they attentively were listening and
observing the development of the trial Sepur Zarco.
Their faces were covered all the time while they were viewing the witnesses take their
turns to narrate during the trial what they and their families had gone through. While
they were listening to the witnesses, after they swore to say the truth and answer the
questions that they were asked, the survivors would lower their faces to dry the tears.
The fight and perseverance of the women survivors of Sepur Zarco makes history at a
national and international level, because it’s the first case at a worldwide level that it’s
been taken to a national court for the crimes of sexual violence, sexual and domestic
slavery, and other cases of sexual violation during the armed conflicts like in Yugoslavia
and Rwanda have been aired in international agencies.
Por Equipo de Comunicación MTM
