Guatemala: Possibility of university-student conscription in Guatemala, and information on a demonstration in June 1988 organized by university students at the capital's airport, in support of a leftist leader returning to Guatemala
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 March 1989 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | GTM0475 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Guatemala: Possibility of university-student conscription in Guatemala, and information on a demonstration in June 1988 organized by university students at the capital's airport, in support of a leftist leader returning to Guatemala, 1 March 1989, GTM0475, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ac478.html [accessed 18 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to a 1985 United Nations document, military service in Guatemala is fulfilled by Universal Conscription, and imprisonment may result from failure to comply. Although the possibility of avoiding service through a tax is indicated,1 there are no reports on the conscription or exemption from service of students.
Reported cases of leftist leaders or exiles returning to Guatemala within or near the mentioned time frame include four members of the United (or Unitary) Representation of the Guatemalan Opposition (Representación Unitaria de la Oposición Guatemalteca - UORG), two of which were arrested and later released; although the report mentions the presence of anti-riot policemen at the international airport of Guatemala City, no student demonstration is mentioned.2 The other reported case is that of an exile returning to Guatemala in June 1988: Maria Elena Gaspar Xuncax, a 21 year old teacher and Kajobal indian who fled Guatemala early this decade; no political membership is indicated in the report nor demonstrations surrounding her arrival in Guatemala, but according to the source, she was harassed and ill-treated by government forces.3
1. Conscientious objection to military service, (United Nations, 1985), pp. 20, 24, 28.
2. 1988 Annual Report on the Human Rights Situation in Guatemala, (Toronto: Inter-Church Committee on Human Rights in Latin America, January 1989), pp. 11-12.
3. Closing the Space: Human Rights in Guatemala, May 1987-October 1988, (Washington, D.C.: Americas Watch, November 1988), pp. 36-37.
Attached are the documents which refer to the aforementioned cases. These include:
-Closing the Space: Human Rights in Guatemala, May 1987-October 1988, (Washington, D.C.: Americas Watch, November 1988), pp. 36-37
-1988 Annual Report on the Human Rights Situation in Guatemala, (Toronto: Inter-Church Committee on Human Rights in Latin America, January 1989), pp. 11-12.
-"Guatemala frees two back from exile", in The Globe and Mail, April 20, 1988, p. A12.
-Conscientious objection to military service, (United Nations, 1985), p. 24.
