Ugly History: The El Mozote murders - Diana Sierra Becerra

Prevodilac: Milenka Okuka Lektor: Ivana Korom

In 1984, a group of radio broadcasters and operators

Godine 1984, grupa radio emitera i operatera

walked into the abandoned village of El Mozote in El Salvador.

je ušetala u napušteno selo El Mazote u El Salvadoru.

Fireflies illuminated the remnants of a massacre

Svici su osvetljavali ostatke masakra

that had taken place three years earlier.

koji se desio tri godine ranije.

Led by Colonel Domingo Monterrosa,

Predvođena pukovnikom Domingom Monterosom,

government soldiers had tortured, raped, and murdered 978 people,

vladina vojska je mučila, silovala i ubila 978 ljudi,

including 553 children.

uključujući 553 deteta.

The youngest victim, Concepción Sánchez, was just three days old.

Najmlađa žrtva, Konsepsion Sančez, imala je svega tri dana.

Both the US and Salvadoran governments denied the massacre had taken place,

I američka i salvadorska vlada su negirale da se masakr desio,

and the slaughter left few people alive to tell their story.

a pokolj je preživelo svega nekoliko ljudi da bi ispričali svoju priču.

But with the help of Radio Venceremos, one of those survivors, Rufina Amaya,

Međutim, uz pomoć radija Venseremos, jedna od preživelih, Rufina Amaja,

shared her testimony—

podelila je svoje svedočanstvo -

exposing both Monterrosa and the governments funding his crimes.

razotkrivajući i Monterosu i vlade koje su finansirale njegove zločine.

This massacre was one in a long line of atrocities

Ovaj masakr je bio jedno u dugom nizu zverstava

committed against El Salvador’s farmers.

koja su počinjena protiv zemljoradnika El Salvadora.

Since the 1800s, a handful of oligarchs

Od 1800-ih, šačica oligarha

had controlled nearly all the country’s land,

je kontrolisala svu zemlju u državi,

forcing laborers to work for almost nothing.

terajući radnike na gotovo neplaćen rad.

In 1932, Indigenous farm workers led an insurrection,

Godine 1932, domorodački zemljoradnici su predvodili ustanak,

but the dictatorial government responded by committing genocide

ali je diktatorska vlada odgovorila genocidom

against these communities.

nad tim zajednicama.

From then on, one military dictatorship after another ruled the country

Od tada, u zemlji su se smenjivale vojne diktature koje su bile

in concert with wealthy landowners.

u dosluhu sa imućnim zemljoposednicima.

Their power only grew in the 1960s,

Njihova moć je samo porasla tokom 1960-ih

when the United States began supplying the regime with military aid.

kada su SAD počele da snabdevaju režim vojnom pomoći.

The US wanted to stop the spread of reformist and revolutionary movements,

SAD je želela da spreči širenje reformskih i revolucionarnih pokreta,

which they saw as threats to capitalism.

koje je videla kao pretnju kapitalizmu.

So they spent huge sums of money training Salvadoran soldiers and “death squads”—

Pa su trošili ogromne sume novca na obuku salvadorskih vojnika i „odreda smrti” -

fascist military units versed in brutal counter-insurgency methods.

fašističkih vojnih jedinica podučenih brutalnim protivpobunjeničkim metodama.

Throughout the 1970s, these forces slaughtered farmers

Tokom 1970-ih, ove snage su ubijale zemljoradnike

who organized to demand basic rights,

koji su se organizovali zahtevajući osnovna prava,

such as living wages, food, and clean water.

poput dostojnih plata, hrane i pitke vode.

Finally, in 1980, farmers and urban workers formed

Naposletku, 1980, zemljoradnici i urbani radnici su oformili

the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front.

Nacionalni front oslobođenja Farabundo Martí.

This coalition of guerrilla groups fought to overthrow the dictatorship

Ova koalicija gerilskih grupa se borila da svrgne diktaturu

and build a socialist society that met the needs of laborers.

i izgradi socijalističko društvo koje zadovoljava potrebe radnika.

These revolutionaries were attacked from every direction.

Ove revolucionare su napadali sa svih strana.

Colonel Monterrosa led a special battalion intent on destroying the FMLN,

Pukovnik Monterosa je predvodio naročit bataljon s namerom uništenja NFOFM-a,

using tactics he’d learned at an American military school.

koristeći taktike koje je naučio u američkoj vojnoj školi.

State forces terrorized farmers to stop them

Državne snage su maltretirale zemljoradnike kako bi ih sprečili

from joining or aiding the guerrillas.

da se pridruže ili pomažu gerilama.

But one group of rebels would not be silenced:

Jedna grupa pobunjenika pak nije želela da ćuti:

the operators of Radio Venceremos.

operateri radija Venseremos.

This clandestine guerrilla radio began in 1981,

Ovaj tajni gerilski radio je počeo sa radom 1981,

and its broadcasters Santiago and Mariposa became the voice of the revolution.

a njegovi emiteri Santijago i Mariposa su postali glasovi revolucije.

They transmitted news from the front lines

Prenosili su vesti iz prvih redova

and reported military abuses that no other source covered.

i izveštavali o vojnom nasilju koje nijedan drugi izvor nije pokrivao.

The station’s politics and popularity made it a high-profile target.

Zbog politike i popularnosti, stanica je postala visokoprofilna meta.

And because they operated in a relatively small area,

A pošto su radili na relativno malom prostoru,

its broadcasters had to move constantly to evade capture.

emiteri su morali stalno da budu u pokretu da bi izbegli zarobljeništvo.

To communicate undetected, the group modified two radios into telephones,

Kako bi neopaženo komunicirali, grupa je modifikovala dva radija u telefone,

linked together through kilometers of barbed wire covering the countryside.

povezane kilometrima bodljikave žice koja se prostirala selima.

This secret telephone line helped the rebels

Tajna telefonska linija je pomagala pobunjenicima

stay one step ahead of their pursuers.

da budu korak ispred progonitelja.

In addition to reporting news,

Pored prenosa vesti,

the radio broadcast educational programs in areas under guerrilla control.

radio je emitovao obrazovne programe u oblastima pod gerilskom kontrolom.

Here, farmers organized democratic councils to govern themselves,

Tu su se zemljoradnici organizovali u demokratska veća,

alongside cooperatives, schools, and medical clinics.

kao i zadruge, škole i klinike.

Organizers also encouraged civilian women to participate in these councils

Organizatori su takođe ohrabrivali žene civile da učestvuju u ovim većima

to ensure the revolution overthrew both capitalism and patriarchy.

kako bi se postarali da revolucija svrgne i kapitalizam i patrijarhat.

Women made up roughly a third of the guerrillas,

Žene su sačinjavale otprilike trećinu gerila,

working in a huge variety of roles.

radeći u raznim ulogama.

Colonel Monterrosa was obsessed with destroying Radio Venceremos.

Pukovnik Monterosa je bio opsednut uništavanjem radija Venseremos.

In October 1984,

Oktobra 1984,

government soldiers finally captured their radio transmitter.

vladini vojnici su konačno zaplenili radijski predajnik.

Monterrosa himself went to retrieve the equipment

Monterosa lično je otišao da zapleni opremu

and held a theatrical press conference celebrating

i održao je teatralnu konferenciju za štampu slaveći

his “decisive blow to the subversives.”

svoj „odlučni udarac subverzivcima.”

But in reality, the radio team had outsmarted him once again.

U stvarnosti ipak, radijska ekipa ga je još jednom nadmudrila.

The transmitter was boobytrapped.

Predajnik je bio zamka.

Once Monterrosa’s helicopter left the press conference,

Čim je Monterosin helikopter napustio konferenciju za štampu,

radio members detonated the device over El Mozote,

radijska ekipa je detonirala spravu iznad El Mozota,

killing the colonel near the village he had massacred.

ubivši pukovnika blizu sela gde je izvršio masakr.

Monterrosa’s death was one victory in a much larger conflict.

Monterosina smrt je bila jedna pobeda u mnogo većem konfliktu.

The civil war raged on for 8 more years before concluding in 1992,

Građanski rat je buktio narednih osam godina i okončan je 1992,

when peace accords dissolved the oppressive National Guard

kada su mirovni dogovori raspustili opresivnu Nacionalnu gardu

and allowed the FMLN to become an electoral party.

i dozvolili NFOFM-u da postane politička partija.

But these accords didn’t address problems of deep, structural inequality.

Ovi se dogovori pak nisu bavili problemima duboke, strukuralne nejednakosti.

In 1993, the UN Truth Commission

Godine 1993, UN-ova Komisija istine

reported that over 75,000 people died during the war.

je izvestila da je preko 75 000 ljudi izgubilo živote tokom rata.

Yet the Salvadoran legislature prevented the prosecution of war crimes

Ipak, zakonodavci iz Salvadora su sprečili suđenja za ratne zločine

and continues to obstruct justice to this day.

i dan-danas nastavljaju da ometaju pravdu.

As of 2021, no participating American officials have been put on trial,

Do 2021, nijednom američkom zvaničniku koji je saučestvovao nije suđeno

and only one individual from the Salvadoran government

i samo je jedna osoba iz salvadorske vlade

has been sentenced for war crimes.

osuđena za ratne zločine.

Historical erasure exists in the US as well,

Brisanje istorije je prisutno i u SAD-u,

where these and other stories of US intervention in Central America

gde se ove i druge priče o američkim intervencijama u Centralnoj Americi

are rarely taught in public schools.

retko podučavaju u državnim školama.

But the victims refuse to be forgotten.

Međutim, žrtve odbijaju da se predaju zaboravu.

Rufina Amaya continued to share her testimony until her death in 2007.

Rufina Amaja je delila svoje svedočanstvo do svoje smrti 2007. godine.

And survivors of other massacres still organize to denounce state violence.

A preživeli iz drugih masakara se i dalje organizuju u osudi državnog nasilja.

They map old massacre sites, exhume and bury loved ones,

Prave mape starih poprišta masakra, iskopavaju i sahranjuju voljene,

and build sanctuaries and museums,

grade svetilišta i muzeje

all in the hope of pollinating a more just future.

s nadom da će posejati seme pravednije budućnosti.