Helen Mack Chang
Helen Mack Chang’s Speech Translation
Thank you very much. Good morning, I truly appreciate your presence at this ceremony. Again, as I mentioned before, I consider myself only a circumstantial recipient and ambassador of this award, the 2005 Notre Dame Prize for Distinguished Public Service in Latin America.
I received this award with deep appreciation and I want to thank to the University of Notre Dame, the Kellogg Institute and the Coca Cola Foundation for considering me with this (consider me to be worthy (deserve)) (of this) prize. However, I insist that I receive it as a circumstantial subject, because if we are to talk about distinguished public service, we must agree that many Guatemalan men and women had given also an exemplary service to the justice, peace and the defense of human rights. But, as a result of the character of their work, they remain in the anonymity.
Painful circumstances in the life of my family led me to take part on an unexpected struggle, and to become a protagonist in the implementation of justice. It was not something that we planned. My family and I woke up with the need to unmask a crime committed by the State and with the resolution to test a system of justice that for many years has been underpinning impunity, which still covers up a cruel policy against insurgency, and was responsible for transforming us into a nation of victims.
As you all know, on September 11, almost fifteen years ago, one of the structures from the Presidency illegitimatelyexecuted my sister, because they considered her an “enemy of the government”.
According to both, the National Court and the Inter-American Court, Myrna was a victim of an illegal intelligence operation. During the trials, some of the testimonies pointed out to the hypothesis that the Army identified Myrna as the alleged author of a publication from the Communities of Population in Resistance (Comunidades de Poblacion de Resistencia).
Today 15 years ago, on a 7th of September, the CPR left their land. They rose against injustice and the military forces, which had been persecuting them. Through their publication, the displaced people shared with us a reality amid hunger, misery and the terror generated by the army. In view of the State, the CPR was the social base of the guerrilla.
In her first work, Institutional Policy toward the internal Displaced, Myrna revealed how the Guatemalan government persecuted this group that was exposed to the contra insurgent actions of the army and yet, through resistance, found alternative forms of life.
Myrna had no responsibilities in the publication of the CPR and nonetheless, was eliminated. Her death did not silence the reality of these displaced groups. On the contrary, the worldwide academic circles, which knew Myrna’s work, raised their voices and demanded justice. Many of these academics and scientists were closely linked to the institution that today confers me this award. Again, my family and I appreciate this support because it motivated us in our search for the truth. After fourteen years, we were able to establish before the Court, the plan that ended with my sister’s life.
The displaced communities followed a self-dynamic independent of the research conducted by Myrna with regard to these entities. Therefore, the communities continued with their daily life and gradually going vis a vis the peace negotiations, they were able to save their lives and return to their land. Now, it becomes evident that my sister’s murder did not stop this process, because it was a response to a communitarian era not reliant of sole individuals.
Fifteen years ago, we saw a paradox. The exposure of the CPR gave birth to this group in the public sphere, but at the same time it meant Myrna’s death. Therefore, there is an insoluble link among both, in which Myrna is present. For this reason, I dedicate this ceremony to my sister’s work and memory, and to the struggle of all the individuals who stood on the way of injustice. And for all of us who keep working without rest, to find alternatives to the remaining problems.
Myrna’s case concluded last January when the Supreme Court sentenced former Chief Juan Valencia Osorio, but who unfortunately remains fugitive from the justice and evidently, protected by the national structures of power.
At the international level, we achieved a historical sentence, because not only the Inter-American Court established the responsibility of the State in similar cases, but also it clearly exposed the process in the denial of justice and those judiciary structures responsible for this. In order to diminish the denial of justice and impunity, the Court demanded to the government the implementation of a series of political, judicial and social measures. Of course, this can only be reachable, if the governmental entities are willing to change the prevailing conditions.
In both trials, the situation of the displaced groups became the center of attention, since its sole existence and the characteristics of their survival, helped to find an explanation of why the contra insurgent forces identified Myrna as a military target and thus, planned her assassination.
At the personal level, I owe much to the displaced population. A deeper analysis of my sister’s work, help me to discover the existence of this group, appreciate its value and courage, and to develop a feeling of immense solidarity toward its cause.
Myrna’s assassination and the reality of the CPRs changed my life. Fifteen years ago, I was focused on business and educative activities without knowing that soon I would be facing a struggle against impunity. Suddenly, my life suffered an irreversible spin.
I fought fourteen years for justice, those were fourteen years of facing the military power and the clandestine structures which promote impunity, violence and crime. In my personal journal I keep special gratitude to the police investigators, judges, attorneys, witnesses who risked their lives and permanence in the country, only to take part on this search for justice. I express my special gratitude to the investigator Jose Merida Escobar. The result of his inquiries showed that Myrna was a victim of an institutional crime and even though he was intimated, he was not afraid to declare the truth before the Court.
At this point, I would like to make a parenthesis to share with you an important event. On May 1990, a delegation that was visiting El Salvador came to talk to us. Among its members was the representative from the University of Notre Dame. We went together to the Supreme Court and they informed us that Myrna’s investigation will pass from the Police to the Public Ministry and thus, to the Supreme Court. This event changed the course of the case and as you can see, the University of Notre Dame shared with us this important news.
Now, that the case is closed, I cannot go back to where I started. I cannot remember my life before this event; either forget what I have learned in all these years. I keep a commitment with justice and have decided to confront a pending process with myself: reconciliation. I must face the fear and embark myself on the tunnel, which will lead me to discover my most intimate fears.
I would like to work to combat falsehood, injustice and the institutional weakness. This goes beyond the personal level and could be the beginning of a shared effort toward the eagerly reconciliation.
I must say that everyone, and not only the victims, should take part in this process, the communities, the government, the society and the powerful groups.
It is often said that since we have been victims of a painful event, it is our obligation to overcome the suffering, forgive, forget and undertake a normal life. This is nothing but a limited concept that does not consider the complexity of this issue or the deep damaged caused to the whole society.
Reconciliation is not a synonym of revenge. Neither implies deep forgiveness. Reconciliation is a constant search for the truth, justice and compensation; for social and economic justice within a strengthened democracy; judicial security, political stability, social advances and sustainable development. For this reason, the peace agreements offer ideal opportunities to promote the socio economic, political and judicial reforms and necessary for reconciliation.
In addition, it is fundamental to rescue from the peace process, the already negotiated commitments, since they will serve as a guideline to embark ourselves on a dynamic which promotes the trust, the rescue of credibility within our system and motives positive actions in the society.
I understand we all want a different Guatemala. We wish to reach a pacific and harmonic coexistence in which all the social conflicts, political concerns can be resolved not through violence, but through dialogue, consensus and negotiation.
In order to bring a real change and become a different Guatemala, we should work hard. Just as the CPR did, we should develop a plan to combat injustice and impunity. Those of us, who live, now, have the opportunity to expose the past, through our life, and to honor the memory of our victims. However, with the same love we must promote the institutional, personal and communitarian changes needed to bring new forms of coexistence.
This is our task. I want to invite you to break down with the prevailing conditions for love to ourselves, for the others and for the dream to live in a renewed country, we unite our efforts to combat injustice, hunger, misery, impunity and any criminal act.
I want to thank again the University of Notre Dame, the Kellogg Institute and the Coca Cola Foundation for this award, which I share with those who dare to resist and fight for a better institutional and social coexistence.
Thank you very much to my family and friends for their support during all these years. Without their support, this struggle against impunity in this case would have never been possible.
Thank you very much.
