GUATEMALA: Little Headway in Investigation into Bishop’s Murder

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Celina Zubieta

GUATEMALA CITY, May 5 1998 (IPS) - Ten days after the murder of Bishop Juan Gerardi, a leading proponent of human rights in Guatemala, little progress has been made in the investigation, in spite of the support lent by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Although the police say they were the first to arrive at the scene of the crime, a source with the archbishop’s office said that prior to their arrival, an order had been given to wash the blood on the floor and walls, which destroyed valuable evidence.

Gerardi was killed Apr. 26 in the entry to his residence in the San Sebastian church, where his skull and face were smashed in with a heavy rock.

The incident occurred two days after the Roman Catholic Church released a 1,400-page investigation coordinated by Gerardi, “Guatemala: Never Again”, into the human rights violations – including the massacres of entire villages – committed during the 36-year armed conflict.

The report was drawn up by the Historic Clarification Commission, created within the framework of the peace accords signed by the conservative government of Alvaro Arzu and the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity in December 1996.

The report accuses the army of 80 percent of the human rights abuses, and finds the guerrillas responsible for nine percent. The Commission was unable to determine who was responsible for the remaining 11 percent.

Human rights groups labelled the murder a politically-motivated crime, but the government responded that no conclusion could be reached until all the evidence was in.

The testimony of witnesses present the night of the murder in a plaza in front of the church led to the arrest of Carlos Alberto Vielman. But the local daily ‘Siglo Veintuno’ reported that the suspect did not resemble the man described by the witnesses.

The newspaper said Rafael Perdomo, alias ‘El Chino’, who was not arrested although his house was searched, did fit the description.

Moreover, Vielman is 1.55 metres tall, compared to Gerardi’s 1.85 metres, which would have made it difficult for the suspect to beat the bishop repeatedly over the head, said prosecutor Otto Ardon.

The suspect’s mother, Matilde Aleman, said her son, who is an alcoholic, was drunk the night of the murder. She added that her son’s right hand is slightly disabled, which would have made it difficult for him to get a solid grip on a large stone.

Vielman was taken to court on Tuesday, where he told the press that he was innocent and had never met the bishop.

Interior Minister Rodolfo Mendoza said the witness who identified Vielman passed an FBI lie detector test.

The Catholic Church, meanwhile, has declined the government’s invitation to sit on the investigative commission. “Bishops are neither criminologists nor investigators,” the president of Guatemala’s Episcopal Conference, Victor Hugo Martinez, said Monday, when he announced that a final decision would be reached this week.

The European Union urged the Arzu administration to ensure an in-depth investigation into the murder, to back the work of the Historic Clarification Commission, and to guarantee the safety of the rest of its members.

President Alvaro Arzu told the daily ‘Prensa Libre’ that the police had “significant evidence” against Vielman, but that charges could not be pressed until the investigation was concluded.

Arzu recognised that the murder would hurt the country’s image abroad, but he added that “the statements of friendly countries have been respectful and responsible…They have not put forth any kind of speculation.”