49
in the capital”, so that he did not return to the Zone of Santa Ana Berlín until the end
of June 1992.
He knew who Efraín Bámaca Velásquez was and that “he was doing political work in
the area of [...] San Marcos”, and that he was a Commander.
Through the press, he learned about the armed encounter between the Luis Ixmatá
Front and the Guatemalan Army in March 1992, and also about the capture of an
important guerrilla leader.
He was not prosecuted nor did he declare before any tribunal in Guatemala with
regard to the Bámaca Velásquez Case.
n.
Testimony of Simeón Cum Chutá, former member of the
Guatemalan Army
He was in the Guatemalan Army from 1985 to 1997, working as a Specialist in the
intelligence unit in Military Zone No. 18 in the Department of San Marcos.
He knew Santiago Cabrera López, former URNG combatant, who, in 1991, presented
himself voluntarily to Military Zone No. 18 in San Marcos, with another guerrilla
called Karina. He was not aware of the procedure followed when Cabrera López
arrived at the Military Zone, because that corresponded to the officer in charge of
the intelligence section, Colonel Pérez Solares. He was unaware whether these
persons had been taken before a judge.
His superior officers were “Lieutenant Colonel Pérez Solares, then Major Aguirre
[and] then [officer] Sosa Orellana.”
He was aware that, in March 1992, the Army organized the Quetzal Task Force, with
the aim of fighting the guerrilla in San Marcos. This Task Force operated from the
Military Zone No. 18 and Santa Ana Berlín bases. He never took part in it in any
way. Major Aguirre did participate in it, as an intelligence officer.
He accompanied Santiago Cabrera to request his identity documents in March 1992,
because, in his opinion, a person without personal identification could be prosecuted
for this in Guatemala.
He knew nothing about an encounter between the Quetzal Task Force and the ORPA
Luis Ixmatá Front in March 1992, because he was in San Marcos at that time. He did
not know who Bámaca Velásquez was through his work, or whether he was captured
as a result of the encounter of March 1992. Nor did he know about possible tortures
inflicted on Bámaca Velásquez.
In March 1992, Raúl Sandoval, Santiago Cabrera López and a woman known as
Karina, all former members of the guerrilla, formed part of the personnel of the
intelligence office. Santiago Cabrera was always posted at the San Marcos base.
He was investigated in a criminal proceeding under the ordinary jurisdiction of
Retalhuleu in relation to the disappearance of Bámaca Velásquez, in which he was
exonerated.
The testimony of Cabrera López was not true.
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents