35
present. The Attorney General treated the judge very badly, to the point where the
latter decided to obey him. The Attorney General said that the procedure would be
conducted at a later date.
It would not have been possible to carry out this procedure, even if all the conditions
mentioned by the Attorney General had been fulfilled, because it was cancelled for
“political reasons.”
When the procedure was cancelled, those present were filmed and photographed and
their names were listed. On his return to the town, the forensic photographer, who
was an official of the Office of the Ombudsman, informed his chief of what had
occurred.
When they returned to the capital, two of those who accompanied Jennifer Harbury
went to the airport and Harbury and one other person received protection from the
Office of the Ombudsman.
e. Testimony of Francis Farenthall, US lawyer,
legislator, human rights and refugee rights activist
former
Texas
In May 1992, Jennifer Harbury asked her to attend the exhumation of a body in the
Retalhuleu cemetery, in Guatemala. During the trip to Guatemala, Harbury told her
that the body sought was that of her husband.
Prior to the exhumation procedure, they held a meeting with Ramiro de León Carpio,
Guatemalan Ombudsman. There was a certain unexpected tension during the
meeting, demonstrated by the fact that the meeting was not held in his office, but in
a public building in Guatemala City, and that special security measures were taken,
such as keeping the doors locked.
Subsequently, the same night, she, Jennifer Harbury and James Harrington again
met with de León Carpio and, on that occasion, the latter gave them details of the
trip to Retalhuleu and informed them that a forensic expert, representing the Office
of the Ombudsman, and a photographer would accompany them during the
procedure.
On reaching the cemetery, they found a few people there, including the excavators
and a person who had joined them when they arrived at the town. When they began
the excavation, the atmosphere was peaceful; however, subsequently, a significant
number of policemen or soldiers arrived and a large group of photographers who
accompanied the authorities began to take photographs of the scene and those
present; she considered that this was a form of intimidation.
Despite the military presence, the excavation continued and they managed to find a
bag containing a body. At that moment they heard noises and the Guatemalan
Attorney General appeared, shouting that they must halt the excavation. The
Attorney General appeared to be angry and his attitude was inflexible.
The exhumation did not continue and a heated discussion started, which increased
the tension, and, above all, caused her to fear for the safety of Jennifer Harbury.