The Art of Political Murder: Who Killed the Bishop?

I've been to Guatemala many times before and since Bishop Juan Gerardi's murder, and Francisco Goldman electrifies readers of "The Art of Political Murder" about one famous Guatemalan murder among thousands of others. His title using "the art" is so well chosen, since that word expresses so well the clever yet insidious minds who designed his murder. Despite those clever designers and their plots to hide their crime, and at the same time because of the courage of many Guatemalans in pursuing those murderers, some element of justice has been meted out to them. I found Goldman's chronicle of the assassination of Bishop Gerardi to be so engaging that it encourages a reading almost without stopping.

I'm surprised by David Stoll's review of Goldman's book. I had a very different reaction when I read it. Like both Stoll and Goldman, I have lived in Guatemala and written about the history and impact of political violence in the country. In addition, as a human rights lawyer, I have worked with prosecutors, rights advocates, and victims in countries throughout the region as they've struggled to ensure that cases like the Gerardi assassination do not end in impunity. Knowing first-hand the complexities of such cases, I found that Goldman did a masterful job of sifting through the evidence in the Gerardi case and reaching conclusions that were entirely judicious, sober, and convincing. Part of what makes the book so fascinating, in fact, is Goldman's very careful exploration of the limits and strengths of the case put together by the prosecutors and the Archbishop's Office--the contradictory testimonies, the dubious witnesses, etc. And what makes the book such a gripping read is how Goldman, a phenomenal storyteller, narrates the inevitably imperfect but remarkably audacious effort by a group of young lawyers to do something that most of their countrymen thought entirely impossible at the time--bring high level military officers to justice. This is easily one of the best books written about political violence in Latin America in the past several decades.

Although there may be some who try to discredit Goldman and his undeniable dicoveries of the Guatemalan Army and government's role in the death Bishop Gerardi and subsequent cover-up, anyone with the slightest knowledge of Guatemalan history and political climate knows what they (the government and Army) are capable of. Goldman weaves a tight tale that, while providing good insight on the civil war and its major players, shows how a man of such high profile as Girardi, a man that no one thought possible of being killed was beaten to death for trying to tell the truth about the country's direct role in the genocide of more than 200,000 indigenous Mayan. As a former Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala, that has family in Guatemala and as someone who frequently travels there, I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning more about a remarkable country that's stunning beauty and (mostly) kind citizens are too often defined by the tragically surreal moments in its history such as this one.

Francisco Goldman has written a brilliant non-fiction account of the 1998 murder of Bishop Juan Gerardi and the ensuing investigation and trial of the persons responsible for the crime: a conservative closeted homosexual priest who was sharing the parish house with the bishop, and several military officers with the Presidential Military Staff (Estado Mayor Presidencial--EMP) who are also linked to organized crime. At the heart of Goldman's story is the account of how a group of human rights investigators, lawyers, prosecutors and judges, a small circle of whom jokingly referred to themselves as Los Intocables--The Untouchables-- pursued justice despite the onslaught of violence, threats, slander and condemnation hurled at them from virtually every direction: the military, politicians, defense lawyers, the press, even respected Peruvian novelist Mario Vargas Llosa. One lost his brother to an unspeakably vicious death. Several had their homes bombed, or were forced into exile when military thugs followed their children to school to let them know how easy it would be to kill them. All endured countless death threats that they never disclosed to Goldman personally, out of an intrinsic sense of honor (he learned of the threats from other investigators, or by reading documents related to the case). But these people were true believers that justice had to be done, despite the cynicism of most of their countrymen. The story of that courage, plus the marvelous depictions of the inimitable characters involved, from ex-army street hustlers to inhabitants of Guatemala's gay demimonde, as well as an informed and daunting portrait of where Guatemala stands today--a country where criminal mafias led by military chieftains vie for control of the insanely lucrative narcotics, human trafficking, car theft and kidnapping rackets, and where "the line between crime and politics can be so fine as to not even exist"--and a clear-eyed analysis of the "schizophrenic" role of the United States in both some of the most galling and the most inspiring episodes in that country's recent history, make this a book that is simply too good to miss. It also couldn't be more timely. It was hoped that continuing investigation would pursue other officers believed to be linked to the murder, including General Otto Pérez Molina--now a candidate for president of Guatemala, who is facing center-left businessman Álvaro Colom in a runoff scheduled for November 4th. If he is elected, as is expected--the general has received a baffling nod of approval from our own embassy, due to his impeccable anti-Chávez credentials (better a killer and a narco than a leftist, one assumes)--this path to justice will get closed for good, unless the U.N. Commission for the Investigation of Illegal Bodies and Clandestine Security Apparatus (CICIACS) enters the fray with the authority it deserves. All of which is detailed in this terific book. Buy it, read it, talk about it, share it.

read Frank Goldman's book, The Art of Political Murder. Even if you are not interested in Central American politics, this is still a page turner. Unlike scores of other journalists who parachuted into Central America over the past 25 years to get the scoop and then go on to the next newsworthy story somewhere else, Frank Goldman's seven-year quest for the truth behind the murder of Guatemalan Archbishop Gerardi deserves kudos for its indefatigable research as well as his ability to spin a yarn, albeit one that sadly is true, that one simply cannot put down. And even those well-versed in the brutality of Guatemala's history of military rule -- whether by decree or by civilian proxy -- will be riveted by the seamless tale that Frank Goldman expertly tells. Read it and weep.