8 The massacre was committed by members of the Army, the PAC, and the Judicial Police. That day, approximately 284 individuals died; they were inhabitants of Plan de Sánchez and neighboring communities. The witness’s next of kin who died were: his mother, his wife, his niece and his three sisters. One of these sisters was raped. On July 19, 1982, he braced himself to leave the place where he was hiding to go and examine the havoc that had been wrought. Together with his brothers, Juan, Buenaventura and Esteban, and with Eulalio Grave Ramírez, he put out the fire that was still consuming the corpses. Those that had not been carbonized shown signs of torture, as did the naked bodies of the youngest women. Then, members of the PAC and Army agents arrived with an order from the military detachment to bury all the victims within two hours; they were warned that, otherwise, army helicopters that were circling over Plan de Sánchez would attack and massacre them. Therefore, they dug a trench and put all the bodies in it, and were unable to bury them on sacred ground, according to Mayan tradition. This was done under the supervision of the members of the PAC and the Army agents. The soldiers robbed and looted the homes of the inhabitants of Plan de Sánchez, taking everything of value to share out among themselves. Nevertheless, the survivors took refuge in their empty homes and organized themselves to be on guard in case the Army returned. During the morning, they stayed in their homes and, at night, they fled to the woods. In this way, the witness survived in the wilds for two years. They did not return to live in Plan de Sánchez for fear of being massacred. The members of the Judicial Police, constituted in armed squadrons, had placed them on the Army’s “black list,” with orders to kill them, if they were found. During the forced displacement, life was very difficult. They felt defenseless and hopeless; they were hungry, thirsty and cold. They were ill and could not receive medical care. In January 1984, as a result of the 1983 amnesty, they returned from the wilds; but the Army agents did not allow them to rebuild their homes or work in Plan de Sánchez, so they were forced to live in other communities. Furthermore, the witness was obliged to become a member of the PAC. All the men were forced to take part in the patrols, even the youths of 14 years old and up, and the elderly. In November 1984, the Centro de Integración Familiar [Family Reunion Center] initiated a project to provide low-cost housing for 20 people. Accordingly, he and his brothers, Juan and Buenaventura, requested authorization from the Army agent in Rabinal to return to Plan de Sánchez and rebuild their homes. Thus, they were able to live in the village, together with other men who had survived the massacre. Following the return to Plan de Sánchez, the Army agents in Raxjut visited the village every three, eight or fifteen days, and accused the survivors of the massacre of being guerrillas; they threatened them constantly and controlled them rigorously. The role of the PAC changed in some cases, but those who led the PAC continued to believe that the survivors of the massacre were guerrillas and planned to kill them. Around 1995 or 1996, the Army agents and the PAC disappeared; nevertheless, they continue to harass the inhabitants of Plan de Sánchez.