Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa, Escuintla, Guatemala — Central America
Assassination of Walter Voordeckers
Aqui fue asesinado el Padre Walter Voordeckers
12 de mayo 1980
"En todo caso, vivamos de acuerdo con lo que ya hemos alcanzado"
(Filipenses 3:16)
A.M.D.E.
Father Walter Voordeckers was assassinated here on May 12, 1980
"Only let us hold true to what we have attained"
(Phillipians 3:16)
A.M.D.E.
(La Asociación Memoria, Dignificación y Esperanza or The Association for Memory, Dignity and Hope)
Erected by la Asociación Memoria, Dignificación y Esperanza (AMDE).
Topics. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Civil Rights • Peace • Wars, Non-US.
Location. 14° 19.9′ N, 91° 1.495′ W. Marker is in Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa, Escuintla. Memorial is at the intersection of 6a Calle and 3a Avenida (Carretera 11), on the right when traveling west on 6a Calle. The marker is on the southern corner of the Municipal Building of Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa, across from the Catholic Church. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa, Escuintla 05002, Guatemala. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 1 other marker is within 14 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Carlos Castillo Armas (approx. 14.1 kilometers away).
Regarding Assassination of Walter Voordeckers. Walter Voordeckers was a Belgian Catholic priest. He came to Guatemala on August 30, 1966. He worked amongst the day laborers of Santa Rosa and Escuintla. In 1976 he came into conflict with local land owners and factory bosses. That year the so-called Ejército Secreto Anti-Comunista (ESA, Secret Anticommunist Army) painted slogans on the walls of the church that said, “Walter communist, the ESA is looking for you” and “Walter go home – ESA”. He also received death threats by mail. While leaving the parish building on May 12, 1980, Walter was met by four individuals trying to abduct him. He tried to escape, was shot at, and consequently died from wounds caused by seven shots that hit him. The perpetrators fled in a beige Toyota Landcruiser with covered plates. The Commission for Historical Clarification (CEH) concluded, based partially on a declassified document from the United States, that Walter was the victim of agents of the government or of an armed force supported or tolerated by the government. In their report, the Commission denounced the neglect of the Guatemalan authorities’ duty to investigate and punish these crimes. Adapted from http://www.guatebelga.be/walter-voordeckers/
Credits. This page was last revised on June 28, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 21, 2016, by J. Makali Bruton of Accra, Ghana. This page has been viewed 415 times since then and 11 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 21, 2016, by J. Makali Bruton of Accra, Ghana.