The problem of lynching in Guatemala contains deeper roots than those portrayed by the Guatemalan national government and the media. Several cases of lynching in the past months have been described as the outcome of a lack of police force to protect the ?rule of law? and/or as the actions of outlaws and delinquents. Although I don?t completely dispute these arguments, I believe that they fail to completely explain the origins of the problem.
The main argument of the Guatemalan government is that cases of lynching are the outcome of a lack of police presence to secure ?rule of law? in rural areas. The current conservative Guatemalan government has clinched to this superficial argument as a way to excuse the use of the army in domestic issues. Although the 1996 Peace Accords between the former guerrilla URNG (Guatemalan National Revolutionary Union) and the government called for the restriction of the military to external security, the failure of the 1999 Popular Referendum kept the door open for the government to use the arm forces in domestic security issues (see endnote 1). As a consequence, the rise of former dictator and retired general Efrain Rios Montt to the office of President of Congress and the victory of his party in the presidential elections of 1999 have re-launched a conservative approach to dealing with issues of violence, common crime and safety (see endnote 2). Consequently, the cases of lynching have been utilized by the Government to promote the militarization of the country.
In many other instances, the cases of lynching have been explained as the outcome of a ?psychology of violence?. For example, the international media has put strong emphasis on the fact that these cases have occurred in the area where the internal arm conflict raged (see endnote 3). This emphasis has tried to suggest that lynching is the product of violent individuals (former guerilla or military people) who have not been able to adapt to the post-conflict environment.
Both of these arguments are partly valid. In fact, in many parts of rural Guatemala police presence is minimal or non-existent. Without the presence of law enforcement, conflicts and |
