The US in Guatemala: More INFO Released; More NO Surprises

Here's the news:

National Security Archive Update, May 7, 2010

Former Guatemalan Soldier Arrested for Alleged Role in Dos Erres Massacre
Declassified documents show U.S. officials knew Guatemalan Army was responsible for 1982 mass murder

For more information, contact:
Jesse Franzblau - jblau@gwu.edu or
Emily Willard - eawillard@gmail.com

http://www.nsarchive.org

Washington, DC, May 7, 2010 - Following this week's arrest of a former Guatemalan special forces soldier, the National Security Archive is posting a set of declassified documents on one of Guatemala's most shocking and unresolved human rights crimes, the Dos Erres massacre.

On May 5, 2010, agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Gilberto Jordan, 54, in Palm Beach County, Florida, based on a criminal complaint charging Jordan with lying to U.S. authorities about his service in the Guatemalan Army and his role in the 1982 Dos Erres massacre. The complaint alleges that Jordan, a naturalized American citizen, was part of the special counterinsurgency Kaibiles unit that carried out the massacre of hundreds of residents of the Dos Erres village located in the northwest Petén region. Jordan allegedly helped kill unarmed villagers with his own hands, including a baby he allegedly threw into the village well.

The documents include U.S. Embassy cables that describe first-hand accounts by U.S. officials who traveled to the area of Dos Erres and witnessed the devastation left behind by the Kaibiles. Based on their observations and information obtained from sources during their trip, the American officials concluded "that the party most likely responsible for this incident is the Guatemalan Army."

Visit the Web site of the National Security Archive for more information about today's posting.