US Representative Weller (R – IL 11th district) announced that he will be marrying Zury Rios Sosa, the daughter of former Guatemalan dictator, General Efrain Rios Montt.
For those of you not up to date on basic Guatemalan history, Rios Montt presided over the worst times in Guatemala’s 36 year civil wear. He took office in a military coup. During his short time in power, his “scorched earth policy” resulted in thousands of innocent indigenous people being slaughtered with their villages being burned to the ground. The United Nations deemed it genocide and President Clinton formally apologized to the people of Guatemala for our role in this slaughter. For the record, Rios Montt was deemed a great defender of democracy and freedom by the Regan administration while the United States waged the Cold War on the peoples of Latin America.
Last year, Guatemala put a symbolic end to the threat of Rios Montt when he was powerfully defeated in the first round of the Presidential elections. But that was not before Montt’s thugs rioted in the capital city on what has become known as “Black Thursday”. This riot was designed to overcome a constitutional provision specifically designed to keep Montt from ever being able to run for President. Zury Rios Sosa, the soon to be Mrs. Weller, has been considered by many to have played an integral part in orchestrating and organizing this violent uprising. For a story on some of this, please read http://www.commonborders.org/guat_digest%20sep25-oct16.htm
There are many groups calling for Rios Montt to be charged on human rights violations and war crimes for what he did. His involvement in Black Thursday is also under investigation in Guatemala. To this day, he and his family deny any wrong doing. When he did manage to get on the ballot for President last year, despite the constitution preventing it, the United States stated that it would be hard to have normal relations with a Montt presidency. So how is it that a member of the United States House of Representatives managed to fall in love with this genocidal despot’s daughter?
The largest outrage on this comes directly from Rep. Weller’s official press release announcing his engagement (http://weller.house.gov/News/DocumentPrint.aspx?DocumentID=4510
) in how pathetically it portrays the family that Rep. Weller is marrying into. It states that Rios Montt served as President and was twice elected President of the Guatemalan Congress. That is quite a nice way to avoid mentioning that he took power in a military coup and what his “presidency” meant to the indigenous majority in Guatemala.
In Ms. Rios Sosa’s defense, she does appear to have a good record of supporting women’s rights and education issues in Guatemala and has drafted legislation whose intent has been to prevent things like infant mortality. Nonetheless, this does not change the history of her family with whom she has done nothing to separate herself. Obviously, it is easy for Americans to judge the history of other countries from a distance. But in the case of the Guatemalan Civil War and the atrocities of Rios Montt’s tenure, the history books are pretty clear.
To the thousands of Guatemalans living in the United States, many of whom came here because of the war, this marriage is undeniably a punch in the face. For them, it must feel like the equivalent of a U.S. Representative marrying the daughter of Osama Bin Laden. After all, three thousand died on 9/11, two hundred thousand died in the Guatemalan Civil War).
It is said that love can conquer all and I do not wish any ill harm to these two lovebirds. But Rep. Weller is a public servant and the message this marriage sends is horrendous. So I do not suggest that he not marry his true love. It is up to him whether or not he can handle who any future children would have as a grandfather and how he would explain it to them. But if he is going to marry into this family, he should step aside from office so as not to create the impression that President Clinton’s apology, which symbolically was very important to the people of Guatemala, was an empty one.
Posted by Kevin at July 9, 2004 06:59 PMThe story hit the New York Times today. Ultimately, the analysts they quoted expect no effect on the outcome of the elections. If I had the opportunity, I'd be very happy to vote for his opponent.
Posted by: Elizabeth S. at July 10, 2004 01:37 PMAs the mother of two adopted Guatemalan boys, I was furious when I read the newspaper article describing the engagement of Weller and Rios Sosa. I do live in Illinois and will make a point of voting for his opponent.
Posted by: Dianne W. at July 12, 2004 09:56 PMI guess I'm going to be controversial here. I think one should let Ms. Rios Sosa be judged by her own qualities rather than by those of her infamous father. I think that attacking this Senator and his fiancee is wrong. It sounds like Ms. Rios Sosa has a good record in supporting human rights. Let's give her a chance! Remember - you can choose your friends, but you can't choose your relatives.
Gail
Posted by: Gail at July 13, 2004 12:36 PMGail,
I agree with you 100% in theory. but in the case of Ms. Rios Sosa, she is joined at the hip politically with her dad. She has defended him and denied that he ever did anything wrong. She is one of the heads of his FRG party, which stole millions from the country and neglected it's duties as defined by t he peace accords. She is thought to be one of the organizers of the violent "Black Thursday" riots last year. If she had distanced herself from her father, it would be another story. But that is far from the case here I'm afraid.
-Kevin
www.guatadopt.com
I don't usually post and don't know where to start, but I felt I had to say something. I apologize for the stream of consciousness (and for the opposing side I am taking here.) Please take this in the concerned, and thoughtful manner which I intend it.
I am also the parent of two adopted Guatemalan children. I am concerned with the approach we are taking in trying to make an issue of this. From what I know, this has little to do with the adoption process we are all so concerned about. I am concerned that tangling this issue and its emotions into this site will only do a dis-service to the children we all care about.
As for the politics...
- If these two folks get married, it does not nullify Clinton's apology for US involvement in the 80s. I doubt Mr. Clinton himself would agree with that.
- If she marries an American it does not mean my government now approves of the atrocities in her father's tenure.
- I don't know why these two folks care about each other either, but unless I see the imprint of some larger conspiracy, I can only assume their love is real.
I look to this site for adoption and country information. I also appreciate the advice it provides on how to be involved in keeping the adoption process going and to protect the orphaned Guatemalan children. I appreciate the insight and views you post here related to that. Along those lines, I am not sure what we as adoptive parents are supposed to do here... Hate Weller? Hate his fiance? Send them ill-will? Demand that they print "daughter of evil dictator" on the wedding announcements and his website? We should demand he stop caring about her because her father is misguided and/or an evil man? I don't see a logical suggestion in all of this that in any way would advance the cause of adoption or help the people of Guatemala.
The implication that Weller should not marry her because he would not be able to explain his grandfather to his children is particularly troubling. Many of us who adopt don't have much to tell our kids about their fathers - - or what we do know of the story isn't very good. Your implication is that Weller would be a bad man for raising children whose grandfather is bad. Explaining family history is sometimes a tough job for parents, but it is part of being a parent. Despite his own actions, Rios Montt's decendents will not be inherently evil. Raised by a loving family, they could indeed become a tremendous source for healing.
- The comparison with Bin Laden also seems faulty. If a daughter of Osama Bin Laden came to the US, fell in love and married some congressman, I would hope it would speak more of her rejection of the hatred in Radical Islam than it would of US support for Bin Laden.
Similarly, I would hope that this union brings growth and wisdom to both of these people. Marriages can often do that.
This site scoffs at the fact that good can come from this. Perhaps you have met Ms. Sosa and know first hand that her heart is black. We admit that she is, however, involved with many good programs. Do we know for a fact that they are all just a show to hide her true evil intent? If so, then I certainly defer my comments to your knowledge.
It is hard not to label people by their politics, and adoption is a political issue, but we should be careful to keep our eyes on the prize.
There are no excuses for brutality. As an American, I cannot even imagine what it is like to be chased out of the country or victimized by a civil war. But I am attached to Guatemala through family now and so the country and its people are a part of me. As such, I am very concerned that the US become more engaged (in good ways) with Guatemala and her people. In my experience, though, hatred is not a good vehicle for that, regardless of the family history of those you hate.
Just for my $.02, I would prefer this site remain a forum to help people.
-Shannon
Posted by: shannon at July 13, 2004 12:58 PMShannon,
I couln't have said it better myself - Thanks for your thoughtful response to this difficult issue!
Posted by: Margaret at July 13, 2004 01:09 PMZury Sosa is culpable of atrocities on her own apart form her father. I was working in Guatemala City on Black Thursday almost 2 years ago. This day is considered a terrorist attack on the city by Zury's clan and her political party. She is photographed lifting a ski mask off here head and talking into a waki-taki. She was orchastrating and directing much of the violence on black thursday. Several people were killed by the mob. I myself had to stay inside on the second floor of a small motel downtown. We shut the metal doors and the owner stood watch with a machine gun guarding the door. I was prisioner in the motel for over 12 hours. I blame Zury as coordinator and her father as instigator.... All sensible Guatemalans know Zury is evil.
Posted by: James Herynk at September 8, 2004 11:11 PMNice blog, just wanted to say I found you through Google
Posted by: pamella lee anderson at November 1, 2004 01:30 PM