Pro-Government Militias
Social Cleansing Squads (Guatemala)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | yes |
| PGM ID Number: | 512 |
| Country: | Guatemala |
| Date formed: | Oct. 31, 1995 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | year |
| Details of Formation: | The Social Cleansing Squads were inspired by the civil war-era death squads such as the PGM “Eye for an Eye” (Wikipedia). The groups organized and armed themselves and were then given authority by the Interior Ministry in 1995, though they might have existed before that date. In the following years, the Interior Ministry and the National Police created more squads. |
| Date dissolved: | Unknown |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | day |
| Details of Termination: | There is no mention of the group after 2008, but there is also no evidence that the group might be terminated. |
| Termination Type(s): | not terminated |
Former and Successor Group Information
| Predecessor group(s): | none |
| Successor group(s): | none |
| Private Military Company? | no |
| Former Group? | no information |
| Former Armed Group? | no |
| Former Rebel Group? | no |
| Former Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
| PGM Becomes Rebel Group? | no |
| Successor Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
Government Relation, Support, and Training
| Government Relation: | informal (type 1) |
| Created by the Government?: | unclear | Main Creating Government Institution: | state (institution) |
| Government Link(s): | state (institution); military (institution) |
| If link to party, name of party: | None |
| Training and Equipment: | yes |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | yes |
| Shared Personnel: | yes |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | domestic government |
| State Sponsor(s): | none |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | religious; urban; security forces |
| Primary Membership: | no information |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | Guatemala City |
| Force Strength: | [unknown, 40] |
| Target(s): | civilians; criminals |
| Purpose(s): | intelligence gathering; anti crime |
Ethnic Characteristics
| Ethnic Target(s): | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Targeting: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Membership: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Membership: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Purpose: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Purpose: | not applicable |
Other Information
| Other Information: | Social cleansing, that is the extrajudicial killings of criminals and other 'undesirables', is common in the large cities of Guatemala. |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The primary purpose of the Social Cleansing Squads is to fight crime (Wikipedia). It is used by the state because the state’s forces are seen as inefficient in fighting the rising crime rates and Mara gangs. They are also seen as vehicle to deny violence for murders committed against alleged criminals and had the support of the local population. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | local support; deniability of violence |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | Social Cleansing Squads used beatings, killings, sexual abuses and torture, and enjoy impunity because of their link to the state (Wikipedia). Their targets include criminals, street kids, homosexuals, transvestites, human-rights activists and homeless. |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | killing; beating; torture; sexual violence |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | no information |
| PGM Members Paid? | no information |
| Reasons for Membership: | Some officers in the squads belong to evangelical churches and see social cleansing of gang members as holy work. Others are former combatants (police, guerilla and paramilitary), who dedicated themselves to freelance crime fighting with the support of their communities after the civil war. |
| PGM Members Killed? | no information |
PGM Size
| Size: | In 2008, it was estimated that within the police there were eight Social Cleansing Squads with five members each. |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: | The squad members are armed with guns. |
Organisation
| Organisation: | The PGM was authorized by the Interior Ministry, and is run by police and army forces. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.