In Guatemala, two men and two women have been arrested by police in connection to the murder of a respected Mayan spiritual guide. The man was tortured, soaked in gasoline and then burned alive after he was accused of witchcraft.
Link to sign a petition demanding justice for Domingo:
Domingo was a 55-year-old man who was an expert in herbal medicine studies, having worked alongside many researchers from institutions like University College London. He was taken from his home in the Guatemalan village of Chimal on Saturday by a group of people.
Those who abducted him were accusing him of conducting a ceremony on a family grave, accusations that they believed merited torture and beating for over ten hours before continuing to burn him alive on Sunday morning. Aside from those arrested, there are three suspects who remain at large.
A video that depicts Choc Che running around in flames and begging for his life has been shared across many platforms. Even as he is screaming for help, no one comes to his assistance.
Domingo’s murder has sparked exasperation all over Guatemala and in the surrounding regions. Some are saying that this event is bringing back harsh memories of the genocidal civil war, a war in which the indigenous population fell victim to systemic cruelty.
Between 1960 and 1996, there were more than 200,000 people killed and 45,000 disappeared, many of them being civilians. A UN-back truth commission has stated that 80% of the people who fell victim to abuses of human rights during the war were indigenous. These statistics have made the UN and the Catholic Church to classify this violence against indigenous people as acts of genocide.
“We are indignant/ how is it possible that our own people could behave so ignorantly? […] There has been discrimination and racism against Maya people for a long time. They do not respect our cosmovision, our spirituality.”
Jose Che, secretary of Guatemala’s Relebaal Saqe association of councils of spiritual guides.
Choc Che was known as an ajilonel, in other words, a specialist in Mayan medicine. He was extremely advanced in his field, having participated in a series of scientific research projects. He was also working to preserve traditional knowledge and herbal remedies.
A sociologist and anthropologist at the University of the Valley of Guatemala named Mónica Berger has said that the community lost a “library of knowledge and a grandfather who had a vast knowledge of medicine and how to care for the land.” He was affectionately called “Abuelo Ku” for these same reasons.
In May 2019, University College London, Zurich University, and the University of the Valley all launched a project in the remote department of Petén to document traditional medicinal plants. Choc Che was one of the 30 participants.
Link to sign a petition demanding justice for Domingo:
Sources:
City, Jeff Abbott in Guatemala. “Outrage as Guatemalan Maya Spiritual Guide Is Tortured and Burned Alive.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 10 June 2020, http://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/10/guatemalan-maya-spiritual-guide-tortured-burned-alive.
MER, teleSUR – avr -. “¿Quién Era Domingo Choc Che, El Líder Asesinado En Guatemala?” Sitio, TeleSUR, 9 June 2020, http://www.telesurtv.net/telesuragenda/guatemala-domingo-choc-che-asesinato-guia-espiritual-20200609-0059.html.
CMS Medios. “Domingo Choc Che: Detienen a 4 Vinculados Al Linchamiento Del Experto En Medicina Natural Maya.” EL IMPARCIAL | Noticias De México y El Mundo, EL IMPARCIAL | Noticias De México y El Mundo, 10 June 2020, http://www.elimparcial.com/mundo/Domingo-Choc-Che-Detienen-a-4-vinculados-al-linchamiento-del-experto-en-medicina-natural-maya–20200609-0133.html.
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