Justice in the US?

Our system of justice, a Guatemalan justice, has never dared try a U.S. citizen, and not because all the gringos who come to Guatemala are saints, but because they know how to get away with murder. The mere thought of touching a gringo is unheard of. They have power and the support of the entire world. No one can attack them; no one can prosecute them. Furthermore, it is prohibited. Yes, they can be tried, but only in the United States — despite the fact that they commit atrocities in other countries.

How many times have we seen in a Guatemalan newspaper that a gringo was tried for crimes committed in our country? Maybe not today, but back in the days of United Fruit Company — more specifically in the time period when President Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán was thrown out and persecuted for being a communist, or at least because he was presumed to be one — this did happen.

I relive the immense pain I felt when Castillo Armas replaced Arbenz Guzmán. It really hurt to read the newspapers and watch the television where awful things were said about Arbenz and evil actions committed against him. Not only was Arbenz handsome, he was intelligent and not a sellout. All those derogatory comments hurt me deep down in my core, but I had to remain silent because I was a secretary at a school, the College Preparatory High School, where my aunts were die-hard Castillo supporters. On the outside I was silent, but on the inside I was suffering.

I could only confide in my boyfriend. I dared to share my ideals with him, whether he accepted them or not. But as he was deeply in love with me, he kept silent about my ideas in front of his family, which was full of strong Castillo supporters.

But then came the day when Castillo Armas was assassinated. His murder did not change anything. His followers were mainly members of the military, all reactionary people but none with a revolutionary zeal. The political left was swept in and out of Guatemala. Yes, we were all communists, but revolutionaries are not necessarily communists.

Back then I was too young to publish my thoughts in the newspaper. At that time, I only wrote poetry that Pedro Julio César García and César Brañas published for me in The Impartial, now defunct and replaced by the Free Press, which is still a young publication.

I had two good friends, however, who thought like me: Ruth Diaz Alvarez and Mimi Lozano. The latter is the daughter of Honduran writer Argentina Diaz Lozano, who worked with me at the Institute of Anthropology and History when it was located in the Aurora National Park.

We did not believe in U.S. justice. We were strong supporters of Arévalo, first and foremost, and then Arbenz. The three of us met to exchange opinions, since we shared the same ideals.

Now comes the case of Alfonso Portillo, who is being tried in the United States. He should be tried in his own country, Guatemala, and not abroad.

I boldly speak up for him, as he is a fellow Guatemalan. He should not be delivered to the gringos. He has the right to stay in Guatemala. We are not idiots; we know unjust acts when we see them.

Portillo is not a murderer. He has killed no one — neither gringo nor Guatemalan. If he has stolen, then that is another story. We have courts in Guatemala. They may likely function properly in Portillo’s case, but it seems no one wants to try him in Guatemala. But should his case be tried here, he would most likely be found guilty. People even already believe he is guilty. He is well known and highly disliked. Will he have any friends to listen to him? Friends that can forgive him? After all, he caused no serious harm. The question remains as to the outcome of his trial in the United States. U.S. District Court Judge Robert Patterson has scheduled a hearing for June 28. I’m sure the evidence against Portillo will be overwhelming. I am sure he will be condemned and held in a gringo jail. And as it so often has, I’m sure Guatemala will duck its head rather than stand straight.