Former Northfield Man to Speak at Carleton about Year Spent as an International Human Rights Worker in Guatemala

Former Northfield resident Thaddeus Hinnenkamp will appear at Carleton College on Thursday, Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. to speak about his experiences as an international human rights worker in Guatemala. Hinnenkamp’s presentation will take place in the Gould Library Athenaeum and is free and open to the public.

Hinnenkamp spent 14 months in Guatemala working as an international human rights accompanier. Simply by accompanying indigenous Mayan people, Hinnenkamp helped to protect them as they publicly testified against former Guatemalan dictators regarding the events yes">  of the early 1980s, in which hundreds of Mayan villages were exterminated and over 200,000 innocent civilians were murdered.

Only after the 1996 Peace Accords did survivors attempt to bring charges against the most serious abusers. yes">  According to Hinnenkamp, despite hundreds of eyewitness testimonies, forensic evidence, and international pressure, no military man responsible for the genocide in Guatemala has yet been prosecuted in a Guatemalan court of law. The government states that the evidence is not strong enough to arrest the suspects. Mayans who are still attempting to bring the perpetrators to justice through their testimony fear for their safety. yes">  The presence of international accompaniers such as Hinnenkamp helps to prevent violence against them.

Hinnenkamp’s appearance is co-sponsored by Northfield People for Peace and Goodwill, along with the Carleton College Gould Library, the Office of the Chaplain, and the Career Center. For further information, contact Joel Weisberg, Herman and Gertrude Mosier Stark Professor of Physics and Astronomy and the Natural Sciences, at (507) 222-4367 or at jweisber@carleton.edu.