14
b.
Testimony of Edmundo Urrutia Castellanos, father of the alleged
victim20
During the time his daughter was abducted he received four telephone calls from her.
His daughter’s abduction broke the normal rhythm of the family. They did not wash,
they did not change their clothes, and they did not sleep. His daughter’s abduction
affected his grandson, Sebastián, in particular, even though he was very young. He
felt that he had aged ten years, owing to the anguish of not knowing the treatment
his daughter was receiving and thinking that they could kill her. His daughter,
Carolina, was also affected by Maritza’s abduction, so that Carolina and her children
had to have psychiatric treatment.
When he saw Maritza on television he was frightened and terrified for her. He had
the impression that she was reading and under pressure, because his daughter
appeared “heavily made-up” and she did not normally use make-up.
The day that Maritza was liberated, the family received a telephone call from their
daughter and then from the Head of the Office of the Attorney General, Acisclo
Valladares Molina, and, immediately, they went to the Office of the Attorney General,
where they met her in a “room filled with the media.” His daughter was with Acisclo
and they told him to sit with them. His daughter looked very small, defenseless and
alone among all the journalists. He could only think about what she must have
endured while she was abducted; the physical and psychological torture that she
might have suffered. At that moment, he could not communicate with his daughter.
Later, in his son’s vehicle, he went with his daughter to the Archdiocese and she told
him how frightened she felt.
Following the abduction, he received a telephone call from a member of the Army
who told him that his superior wanted to talk to him but he refused that meeting.
After this call, he was summoned to a court to make a statement on the facts and he
made the same statement for the Office of the Ombudsman and for the National
Police. After making his statement, he was told that he would be summoned again,
but in 11 years, this never happened.
While his daughter was abducted and when she was in the custody of the
Archdiocese, the family made numerous international telephone calls. His daughter
was exiled in Mexico for six years. He went to visit her four or five times. When he
visited her, he observed that she had a minimal financial and social status. He
believes that his daughter, Carolina, went to visit Maritza about 12 times and, on
each trip, she gave her some financial assistance.
He feels insecure living in Guatemala nowadays. There are still daily assassinations
and disappearances and there is a national situation of lack of security. His
daughter’s abduction continues to affect the family psychologically. He believes that
his appearance at the hearing before the Court to give evidence could involve a risk.
c.
Testimony of María Pilar García de Urrutia, mother of the
alleged victim21
20
He provided a statement on the telephone calls made by Maritza Urrutia from the place where
she was detained as well as other information related to the case.
21
She provided a statement on the telephone calls made by Maritza Urrutia from the place where
she was detained as well as other information related to the case.