Victims of 1982 Guatemala civil war massacre laid to rest

SANTA MARIA NEBAJ, Guatemala – The remains of 31 Ixil Mayans who were killed by the Guatemalan army 32 years ago during the height of the country’s civil war have been laid to rest in the country’s western highlands.

Dozens of neighbours accompanied the small wooden boxes containing the remains of the victims in a procession Wednesday to a cemetery in the village of Xecax.

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Forensic experts first exhumed the bodies four years ago and since have identified eight of the victims through DNA tests. The bodies of those identified were returned to their relatives’ homes in the village for a traditional memorial service before the burial.

The 23 others were honoured during a wake held Tuesday night at the offices of a victims’ rights group in the nearby town of Santa Maria Nebaj.