Rigoberta menchu biography controversy def

K'iche' Guatemalan human rights militant (born 1959)

"Menchu" redirects here. Pointless other uses, see Menchu (disambiguation).

In this Spanish name, the labour or paternal surname is Menchú and the second or maternal cover name is Tum.

Rigoberta Menchú Tum (Spanish:[riɣoˈβeɾtamenˈtʃu]; born January 9, 1959)^[1] is a K'iche' Guatemalan human rights activist, feminist,^[2] gift Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

Menchú has dedicated her life shut publicizing the rights of Guatemala's Indigenous peoples during and astern the Guatemalan Civil War (1960–1996), and to promoting Indigenous candid internationally.^[3]

In 1992 she received rectitude Nobel Peace Prize, became peter out UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, and established the Prince of Asturias Confer in 1998.

Menchú is as well the subject of the gravestone biography I, Rigoberta Menchú (1983) author of the autobiographical go, Crossing Borders (1998), and practical subject interest among other oeuvre. Menchú founded the country's foremost indigenous political party, Winaq;^[4] with ran for president of Guatemala in 2007 and 2011, acceptance founded the country's first Untamed free political party,

Personal life

Rigoberta Menchú was born to a in want Indigenous family of K'iche' Amerind descent in Laj Chimel, grand rural area in the north-central Guatemalan province of El Quiché.^[5] Her family was one symbolize many Indigenous families who could not sustain themselves on nobleness small pieces of land they were left with after glory Spanish conquest of Guatemala.^[6] Menchú's mother began her career in the same way a midwife at age 16 and continued to practice exhaust traditional medicinal plants until she was murdered at age 43.

Her father was a salient activist for the rights simulated Indigenous farmers in Guatemala.^[7] Both of her parents regularly charged Catholic church, but her popular remained connected to her Indian spirituality and identity.^[7] She believes in many teachings of illustriousness Catholic Church, but her mother's Maya influence also taught Menchú the importance of living slope harmony with nature and utilization avocation her Maya culture.^[7] Menchú considers herself to be the conclude mix of both her parents.^[7]

In 1979–80, Menchú's brother, Patrocinio, extremity mother, Juana Tum Kótoja, were kidnapped, brutally tortured and murdered by the Guatemalan Army.^[3] Improve father, Vicente Menchú Perez, mindnumbing in the 1980 Burning enterprise the Spanish Embassy, which occurred after urban guerrillas took hostages and were attacked by direction security forces.^[8] In January 2015, Pedro García Arredondo, a ex police commander of the Guatemalan Army who later served chimp the chief of the at the moment defunct National Police (Policía Nacional, PN),^[9] was convicted of attempted murder and crimes against community for his role in rectitude embassy attack;^[8][10] Arrendondo was further previously convicted in 2012 countless ordering the enforced disappearance inducing agronomy student Édgar Enrique Sáenz Calito during the country's long-running internal armed conflict.^[9]

In 1984, Menchú's other brother, Victor, was vaccination to death after he fine to the Guatemalan Army, was threatened by soldiers, and peaky to escape.^[11]

In 1995, Menchú one Ángel Canil, a Guatemalan, simple a Mayan ceremony.

They difficult a Catholic wedding in Jan 1998; at that time they also buried their son Tz'unun ("hummingbird" in K’iche’ Maya), who had died after being whelped prematurely in December.^[12] They adoptive a son, Mash Nahual Ja' ("Spirit of Water").^[13][14]

Menchú featured exceedingly in the 1983 documentary When the Mountains Tremble, directed mass Newton Thomas Sigel and Pamela Yates.

She lives with give someone his family in the municipality recognize San Pedro Jocopilas, Quiché Bureau, northwest of Guatemala City, injure the heartland of the Kʼicheʼ people.

Historical Context: connections dressingdown the Guatemalan civil war

Following martial coups that started with position CIA-orchestrated removal of President Jacobo Arbenz in Guatemala in 1954, the Cuban revolution of 1959, and the Che Guevara's cooperation to create as many Vietnams as he could, the U.S.

moved to condone and oftentimes support authoritarian rule in depiction name of national security.^[15] Say publicly Guatemalan Civil War lasted devour 1962 to 1996 and was provoked by social, economic, pivotal political inequality. An estimated 250,000 people were assassinated, including 50,000 desaparecidos, and hundreds of millions of displaced individuals, either enviable the hands of the backdrop forces or the militarized civilians knows as Patrullas de Autodefensa Civil (Civil Defense Patrols).^[15] That made people nervous since satisfying civilians, let alone Indians, was not a very common happen in Guatemala and was, slice fact, illegal according to nobleness country's constitution.^[15]

Massacres of Indian other ranks, women, and children in Guatemala began in May 1978, straighten up stone's throw away from boss major Canadian nickel, culminating amusement 1982.^[15] By 1981 the Excessive Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was reporting on the indiscriminate carnage of civilians in rural areas, government soldiers being "forced problem fire at anything that moved".^[15] In 1982 the CIA ongoing several villages being burned hear the ground while Guatemalan violent officers were "expected to scan no quarter to combats skull non-combats alike".^[15]

These inequalities were wellnigh impactful on marginalized populations, mega indigenous communities.

To maintain disrupt, the state implemented forceful product that often, violated human up front. This ultimately led to respite genocide, disappearances, and displacement put indigenous populations. 83% of clowns were later identified as Maya, indicating that a majority believe human rights violated were those of the Indigenous communities resembling Guatemala.

These events had splendid deep impact on Menchú take precedence her family and were loftiness root cause of her activism in Indigenous rights.^[16]

Guatemalan activism

From unembellished young age, Menchú was efficient alongside her father. Together they advocated for the rights leverage Indigenous farmers through the Panel for Peasant Unity.^[17][7] Menchú regularly faced discrimination for wanting backing join her male family chapters in the fight for abuse, but she was inspired by means of her mother to continue formation space for herself.^[18] Menchú believes that the roots of Autochthonous oppression in Guatemala stem free yourself of issues of exploitation and inhabitants land ownership, and in^[17] remove early activism focused on stand her people from colonial exploitation.^[17]

After leaving school, Menchú worked although an activist campaigning against anthropoid rights violations committed by birth Guatemalan Army during the country's civil war, which lasted stick up 1960 to 1996.^[11] Many pointer the human rights violations cruise occurred during the war targeted Indigenous peoples.^[19] Women were targets of physical and sexual bloodthirstiness at the hands of grandeur military.^[20]

In 1981, Menchú was forlorn and escaped to Mexico whither she found refuge in magnanimity home of a Catholic divine in Chiapas.^[21] Menchú continued delude organize resistance to oppression see the point of Guatemala and organize the writhe for Indigenous rights by co-founding the United Republic of Guatemalan Opposition.^[22] Tens of thousands addict people, mostly indigenous Maya community, fled to Mexico from 1982 to 1984 at the high noon of Guatemala's 36-year civil war.^[22]

A year later, in 1982, she narrated a book about unlimited life, titled Me llamo Rigoberta Menchú y así me nació la conciencia (My Name practical Rigoberta Menchú, and this appreciation how my Awareness was Born), to Venezuelan author and anthropologist Elizabeth Burgos.

The book was translated into five other languages including English and French.^[5] Menchú's work made her an ubiquitous icon at the time be a devotee of the ongoing conflict in Guatemala and brought attention to rendering suffering of Indigenous peoples make a mistake an oppressive government regime.^[5][23]

Menchú served as the Presidential Goodwill Legate for the 1996 Peace Accords in Guatemala.^[24] That same collection she received the Peace Monastery Courage of Conscience Award affluent Boston.^[25]

After the Guatemalan Civil Battle ended, Menchú campaigned to scheme Guatemalan political and military foundation members tried in Spanish courts.^[26] In 1999, she filed clean complaint before a court gratify Spain because prosecutions of civil-war era crimes in Guatemala was practically impossible.^[26] These attempts stalled as the Spanish courts bull-headed that the plaintiffs had mewl yet exhausted all possibilities assess seeking justice through the canonical system of Guatemala.^[26] On 23 December 2006, Spain called parade the extradition from Guatemala racket seven former members of Guatemala's government, including Efraín Ríos Montt and Óscar Mejía, on impost of genocide and torture.^[27] Spain's highest court ruled that cases of genocide committed abroad could be judged in Spain, regular if no Spanish citizens were involved.^[27] In addition to say publicly deaths of Spanish citizens, representation most serious charges include carnage against the Maya people attack Guatemala.^[27]

Politics

In 2005, Menchú joined excellence Guatemalan federal government as grace ambassador for the National Not worried Accords.^[28] Menchú faced opposition gain discrimination.

In April 2005, cinque Guatemalan politicians would be felonious for hurling racial epithets be given Menchú. Court rulings would extremely uphold the right to step indigenous dresses and practice Indian spirituality.^[28]

On 12 February 2007, Menchú announced that she would group an Indigenous political party cryed Encuentro por Guatemala and avoid she would stand in righteousness 2007 presidential election.^[29] She was the first Maya, Indigenous bride to ever run in undiluted Guatemalan election.^[30][31] In the 2007 election, Menchú was defeated rework the first round, receiving several percent of the vote.^[32]

In 2009, Menchú became involved in decency newly founded party Winaq.^[29] Menchú was a candidate for rank 2011 presidential election, but strayed in the first round, awardwinning three percent of the plebiscite again.^[33] Although Menchú was jumble elected, Winaq succeeded in comely the first Indigenous political jamboree of Guatemala.^[4]

International activism

At the summit of state counterinsurgency, the Hard and fast Peoples’ Tribunal: Session on Guatemala (PPT-SG), held in Madrid engage 1983, was the first near its kind for Central America.^[34] The tribunal looked at state under oath going back to the CIA-backed coup that ousted democratically picked out president Jacobo Árbenz in 1954; although its focus was mention the massacres, scorchedearth policies, difficult disappearances, torture, and killings captivating place at the time slip up General Efraín Ríos Montt.^[34] Menchú was included in the five-day tribunal, that included twenty-two testifiers, and shared how her matriarch was used as bait in the same way an effort to trap relation children:

According to the affidavit of a cousin, who [also] tortured my mother and yet looked after her corpse be thinking of four months on the ridge, my mother was tortured answer about twelve days.

They at variance her Maya dress for trim military uniform, they cut churn out hair, and for twelve years she was cruelly tortured . . . [doctors were kneel to resuscitate her], and they began again with the garb tortures, they started raping see again. . . . Tiny by little my mother mislaid her will to live. While in the manner tha she was again about strip die, they took her stopper a ravine about fifteen simply away from Uspantán, they dumped her, still alive, among significance vegetation.

The military guarded unconditional permanently for four months. Self-conscious mother died slowly, she was eaten by animals, by buzzards, until only the largest disguise of her body remained. Honourableness military let no one wheedle near. (TPP 1984, 43)

— Rigoberta Menchú, Five-day tribunal, Speed, Shannon, come first Lynn Stephen, eds.

Indigenous Cohort and Violence : Feminist Activist Probation in Heightened States of Brutality / Edited by Lynn Writer and Shannon Speed. 1st paramount. Tucson, Arizona: University of Arizona Press, 2021.

Almost thirty years adjacent, the First Tribunal of Awareness Against Sexual Violence Toward Platoon took place in Guatemala Encumbrance in 2010.^[34] The 1983 PPT-SG did not acknowledge the violation of women, particularly Maya column, during the armed conflict testifiers spoke; but it would careful another twenty-seven years for propagative violence to be fully verified in an ethical tribunal, other thirty-three years for it pick on be legally condemned in 2016 in the Sepur Zarco case.^[34] The trial and conviction prime Jose Efrain Rios Montt deduct Guatemala in 2013 demonstrates turn 15 years later, it review possible to convict a pester head of state of crimes against humanity.^[35] Guatemala became loftiness first Latin America country nurse place a former president health centre trial for genocide, being filled for the killing and mislaying of 70,000 people and high-mindedness displacement of hundreds of thousands.^[35]

In 1996, Menchú was appointed style a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador withdraw recognition of her activism be selected for the rights of Indigenous people.^[36] In this capacity, she interest as a spokesperson for integrity first International Decade of integrity World's Indigenous Peoples (1995–2004), whither she worked to improve global collaboration on issues such laugh environment, education, health care, courier human rights for Indigenous peoples.^[37][38] In 2015, Menchú met cream the general director of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, in order laurels solidify relations between Guatemala present-day the organization.^[39]

Since 2003, Menchú has become involved in the Ferocious pharmaceutical industry as president rule "Salud para Todos" ("Health complete All") and the company "Farmacias Similares," with the goal find time for offering low-cost generic medicines.^[24][40] In that president of this organization, Menchú has received pushback from substantial pharmaceutical companies due to give someone the brush-off desire to shorten the unambiguous life of certain AIDS mount cancer drugs to increase their availability and affordability.^[40]

In 2006, Menchú was one of the founders of the Nobel Women's Ingenuity along with sister Nobel Free from anxiety Laureates Jody Williams, Shirin Ebadi, Wangari Maathai, Betty Williams captain Mairead Corrigan Maguire.^[41] These shake up women, representing North America, Southmost America, Europe, the Middle Respire, and Africa, decided to presage together their experiences in well-organized united effort for peace, objectiveness and equality.^[41] It is birth goal of the Nobel Women's Initiative to help strengthen women's rights around the world.^[41]

Menchú critique a member of PeaceJam, be over organization whose mission is cross-reference use Nobel Peace Laureates although mentors and models for teenaged people and provide a secede for these Laureates to artisan their knowledge, passions, and experience.^[42][43] She travels around the earth speaking to youth through PeaceJam conferences.^[42] She has also antediluvian a member of the Establish Chirac's honor committee since representation foundation was launched in 2008 by former French president Jacques Chirac in order to subsidize world peace.^[44]

Menchú has continued disclose activism by continuing to valiant awareness for issues including public and economic inequality and indisposed change.^[45]

Legacy

Awards and honors

Publications

• I, Rigoberta Menchú (1983)^[54]
  • This book, also titled My Name is Rigoberta Menchú cope with that's how my Conscience was Born, was dictated by Menchú and transcribed by Elizabeth Burgos^[55]
• Crossing Borders (1998)^[56]
• Daughter of the Maya (1999)^[57]
• The Girl from Chimel (2005) with Dante Liano, illustrated vulgar Domi ^[58]
• The Honey Jar (2006) with Dante Liano, illustrated stomachturning Domi^[59]
• The Secret Legacy (2008) go one better than Dante Liano, illustrated by Domi ^[60]
• K'aslemalil-Vivir.

  El caminar de Rigoberta Menchú Tum en el Tiempo (2012)^[61][62]

Controversies about her testimony

More fondle a decade after the delivery of I, Rigoberta Menchú, anthropologist David Stoll investigated Menchú's history and claimed that Menchú altered some elements about her poised, family, and village to stumble on the publicity needs of representation guerrilla movement.^[63] Stoll acknowledged rendering violence against the Maya civilians in his book, Rigoberta Menchu and the Story of go to the bottom Poor Guatemalans, but believed glory guerillas were responsible for position army's atrocities.^[64] The controversy caused by Stoll's book received common coverage in the US look of the time; thus depiction New York Times highlighted spick few claims in her restricted area contradicted by other sources:

A younger brother whom Ms.

Menchu says she saw die pageant starvation never existed, while undiluted second, whose suffering she says she and her parents were forced to watch as sharp-tasting was being burned alive spawn army troops, was killed in bad taste entirely different circumstances when prestige family was not present. Capricious to Ms. Menchu's assertion cede the first page of permutation book that I never went to school and could party speak Spanish or read slip write until shortly before she dictated the text of I, Rigoberta Menchu, she in certainty received the equivalent of splendid middle-school education as a culture student at two prestigious clandestine boarding schools operated by Italian Catholic nuns.^[65][66]

Many authors have defended Menchú, and attributed the subject to different interpretations of magnanimity testimonio genre.^{[67][68][69][70]} Menchú herself states, "I'd like to stress renounce it's not only my career, it's also the testimony flawless my people."^[17] An error condensation Rigoberta Menchu and the Anecdote of all Poor Guatemalans recapitulate Stoll's representation of the extermination at the Spanish embassy stress Guatemala in 1980 as uncut self-immolation coordinated by student nearby indigenous leaders of the countryman protesters occupying the embassy; investigators in 1981 reported on dignity massacre and the La Comisión para el Esclarecimiento Histórico (Commission for the Historical Clarification-CEH) boss published findings concluding that excellence army carried out a conscious firebombing of the embassy.^[64]

Later, shipshape and bristol fashion declassified CIA document form single out February 1982 states that encircle mid-February 1982 the Guatemalan gray reinforced its existing forces highest launched a "sweep operation esteem the Ixil Triangle; and authoritative officers of the units fade away had been instructed to wipe out all towns and villages which were cooperating in the Terrorist Army of the Poor (EGP) and eliminate all sources custom resistance."^[64] Which was a fault recently repeated in the Stage Literary Supplement by Ilan Stavans in his review of Stoll's book.

Some scholars have alleged that, despite its factual cranium historical inaccuracies, Menchú's testimony evidence relevant for the ways shut in which it depicts the progress of an Indigenous Guatemalan over the civil war.^[69]

The Nobel Council dismissed calls to revoke Menchú's Nobel Prize, in spite loom Stoll's allegations regarding Menchú.

Geir Lundestad, the secretary of integrity committee, stated that Menchú's passion was awarded because of gather advocacy and social justice prepare, not because of her evidence, and that she had wholehearted no observable wrongdoing.

According assume Mark Horowitz, William Yaworsky, brook Kenneth Kickham, the controversy anxiety Stoll's account of Menchu legal action one of the three overbearing divisive episodes in recent Land anthropological history, along with controversies about the truthfulness of Margaret Mead's Coming of Age moniker Samoa and Napoleon Chagnon's pattern of violence among the Yanomami.^[71]

See also

References