National Day of Dignification for the Victims of the Internal Armed Conflict

National Day of Dignification for the Victims of the Internal Armed Conflict

Photos of victims of Guatemala’s Internal Armed Conflict on display on February 25th.

On February 25th, 2025, people from diverse communities across Guatemala gathered in Guatemala City to mark the annual National Day of Dignification for the Victims of the Internal Armed Conflict (IAC). The morning started at the Supreme Court of Justice, with groups gathering from various departments, including Alta Verapaz, Baja Verapaz, El Quiché, Chimaltenango and Sololá, demanding recognition of the genocidal acts committed during the IAC. The group then marched down Sixth Avenue towards the Presidential Palace to hold a public Kotz’i’j (Maya Ceremony) prior to meeting with President Arévalo.

Survivors and communities march through the capital.

The intention of the meeting with the President was to present a request for governmental agreement to a high-level Commission that would continue to bring reparations to the thousands of families affected by the IAC.  The demands include the creation of a National Plan for Dignity and Reparations, an annulment of the Constitutional Court decision that denies the recognition of state-perpetrated violence under the Lucas Garcías regime, an immediate end to all criminalization and political persecution of community leaders, and the renunciation of the corrupt Public Prosecutor, Consuelo Porras.

The march then entered the Plaza de la Constitución, led primarily by Maya women wearing the güipiles, cortes and fajas of their respective municipalities. These Achí, Kaqchikel, Ixil and Q’eqchi’ women were the protagonists of the march as they have also opened paths for justice through their courageous efforts through the Guatemalan justice system. Women from Rabinal, Nebaj and Sepur Zarco, in particular, have used their collective courage to denounce their aggressors and bring several military-affiliated perpetrators to justice through the country’s court system. As such, they were at the forefront of the march that entered the plaza this morning, accompanied by Kaqchikel women from Patzún, Comalapa and Totonicapan, among other municipalities, joined by their husbands, sons, grandsons, and nephews.

The organizing committee created two ceremonial spaces in the Plaza, one on the eastern side in front of the Catedral Metropólitana de Santiago and another on the north facing side directly in front of the Presidential Palace. The march first stopped in front of the cathedral to share some opening words, emphasizing the need to publicly and openly challenge the impunity surrounding the violence committed during the IAC. After several interventions, the group moved to the ceremonial space in front of the Palace, where two Ajq’ijab’ (Maya Day Keepers) lit the sacred fire and performed a Kotz’i’j in anticipation of the meeting with the President.

The group gathers around the ceremonial space.

The Ajq’ijab’ (Maya Day Keepers) begin the Kotz’i’j (Maya Ceremony).

Following the Kotz’i’j, the march once again took to Sixth Avenue to await the meeting with President Arévalo; however, the group was forced to wait for over an hour before government officials allowed the organizing committee to enter the palace. Upon entering, the committee was hosted by a low-level Commission composed of people with no decision-making power. Neither the President, Vice-President, Director for the Presidential Commission for Peace and Human Rights, nor any minister attendde the meeting. Instead, the government officials scheduled another meeting for March 3rd, despite the fact that committee members had traveled to the capital from as far as Nebaj, Quiché, approximately an 8-10 hour journey.

While the meeting took place, participants waited outside of the Presidential Palace, finding refuge in shaded areas as the committee presented its request. Given the context of how the government received the committee, the results of the meeting with the state are still unclear, but the perseverance of the survivors of the IAC remains strong — even though +40 years have passed since these atrocities were committed.