A riot: An act of collective violence (which can end in lynching) against the embodiment of power or the nearest authority. “This movement is spontaneous, emotional, not premeditated, caused by a feeling of grievance transformed into anger.”

An uprising: It is not ephemeral or spontaneous. It can generate a “revolutionary situation” (that is, one where “those below” can no longer tolerate their living conditions and dominant groups can no longer govern).

A revolution: A generalized uprising that leads to a displacement of power in a nation or in critical geographical areas.

He clarifies that the concept of revolution is ever changing. Today, revolutions tend to be neither violent nor abrupt. Examples: those of Venezuela, Bolivia, and Ecuador.

Tuesday. Eight in the morning.

Cases:

Brazilian dictatorship: 185 disappeared by state terror in twenty years.

Argentine dictatorship: 30,000 disappeared in ten years.

Guatemalan dictatorship: 45,000 missing (and 150,000 executions) in thirty-six years.

The Guatemalan army—according to some reports like REMHI* and the CEH†—was responsible for about 95 percent of deaths and forced disappearances, while the guerrillas, for less than 5 percent.

After 1966, the authorities in Guatemala do not report any more political prisoners; then begins the period of forced disappearances, clandestine prisons, and extrajudicial executions.

Belatedly, political prisoners were granted typewriters to “render reports” (denunciations). Possibilities: invention and buying time.

Measures imposed by the insurgency on its members in case of capture:

—Resist for a prudent amount of time to allow for dismantling of structures (then restructure them differently).

—Do not reestablish contact with any members in case of escape or liberation, under threat of death.

The doctor cites the well-known case of two young guerrilla women who were captured and then used as “sex servants” by state agents for several months. After a somewhat doubtful “escape,” they went into exile in Nicaragua, where they reestablished contact with former guerrilla comrades. They were tried for treason (“from within the subversive ranks”), found guilty, and executed.

Afternoon.

Ricardo Ramírez and the 1967 “March Document,” in which the decision is made to change the “combat scenario,” and on which is based an attempt to involve the Mayan population—previously excluded—in the armed struggle. “The action must be localized away from government influence and close to the Indian communities.” The previous strategy, which had failed, was one focused on urban guerillas, with other centers of guerilla activity in uninhabited areas or areas inhabited by “non-indigenous” people.

Wednesday. Eight in the morning.

During a question-and-answer session, I make the mistake of asking the following: