Three year anniversary of the genocide annulment

Jo-Marie Burt has a nice reflection on what is going on three years after the annulment of the Rios Montt genocide verdict with In Guatemala, Victims Commemorate the Third Anniversary of the Genocide Verdict for The Huffington Post.

The process has been frustrating for victims, who say they feel like they have become pawns in a larger political game. Yet most of them say they are not giving up their demands for justice. For them, the verdict handed down three years ago finding Ríos Montt guilty of genocide retains important political, symbolic and historic meaning. This is what they will celebrate this weekend as they gather in Nebaj, Chajul, and Cotzal, the three corners of the Ixil region, to commemorate the verdict and renew their energy to continue the battle against impunity. A battle that is just beginning, and one in which the international community will continue to be a critical actor. But it is a battle that Guatemalans are waging on their own terms, peacefully, publicly, and with enormous dignity. It is an example the world should watch closely.

I haven't paid that much attention to the developments of the case since its annulment three years ago. I wasn't convinced that the trial would ever be restarted. For me, the focus was on how the trial and its annulment demonstrated the progress that Guatemala's institutions had achieved in the last few years as well as their ongoing fragility. Anti-democratic forces were intent on sabotaging this trial as well as many other efforts to strengthen the country's rule of law. They do not believe in accountability or equality before the law.

As someone long associated with the left in Guatemala told me, while the international community seems to have sometimes overstepped its boundaries with regards to Guatemala, nothing would be done for "the people" without its pressure.