Irma Flaquer
Encyclopedia
Irma Flaquer Azurdia was a Guatemala
n psychologist and reporter known for her vicious critiques against the Guatemalan government. Born to a Catalan theater producer father, Fernando Flaquer, and Guatemalan opera singer mother, Olga Azurdia, she spent her childhood travelling and living throughout Central
and South America
. In 1955, she married Fernando Valle Avizpe and later divorced in 1958. That same year (1958) she started a column in the Guatemala
n newspaper La Hora
, entitled "Lo que otros callan" which she would later transfer over to La Nación
in the years 1971 to 1980. She had two sons, Sergio Valle and Fernando Valle.
In 1970 she had a hand grenade thrown into her car, injuring only her hand. On October 16, 1980, Irma attended her grandson's 4th birthday party. It was also believed to be a last farewell to her son Fernando, his wife, Mayra Rosales, and her grandson, Fernando, before she left for Nicaragua the next day. While she and Fernando drove back to her apartment, they were stopped a block away from her apartment by two cars surrounding their car. Fernando was shot in the head and Irma cried out for a doctor for her son. She was grabbed and taken away. Her body has not been recovered and it is believed she was executed. She had been the first white, middle-class, professional woman to have been abducted and presumably murdered
in Guatemala during that time. Her son, Sergio, who had been sent to live in a kibbutz
in Israel
in 1970 after the grenade incident, had received menacing, anonymous phone calls in Israel after his mother's disappearance for two years, claiming that she had gone crazy and was living in a basement.
The Inter American Press Association investigated the case of Irma Flaquer as part of its impunity project, and the case was the first that the IAPA brought to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
, which ruled that the Guatemalan government was responsible for her disappearance, at the very least by not protecting her as a public figure.
The investigation also led to a book Disappeared, A Journalist Silenced by June Carolyn Erlick (Seal Press, 2004).
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
n psychologist and reporter known for her vicious critiques against the Guatemalan government. Born to a Catalan theater producer father, Fernando Flaquer, and Guatemalan opera singer mother, Olga Azurdia, she spent her childhood travelling and living throughout Central
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. In 1955, she married Fernando Valle Avizpe and later divorced in 1958. That same year (1958) she started a column in the Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
n newspaper La Hora
La Hora
La Hora is the newspaper with the most regional editions in Ecuador. It specializes in regional news, and runs a total of 12 regional editions. The headquarters of La Hora are located in Quito....
, entitled "Lo que otros callan" which she would later transfer over to La Nación
La Nación
La Nación is an Argentine daily newspaper. The country's leading conservative paper, the centrist Clarín is its main competitor. It is the only newspaper in Argentina still published in broadsheet format.-Overview:...
in the years 1971 to 1980. She had two sons, Sergio Valle and Fernando Valle.
In 1970 she had a hand grenade thrown into her car, injuring only her hand. On October 16, 1980, Irma attended her grandson's 4th birthday party. It was also believed to be a last farewell to her son Fernando, his wife, Mayra Rosales, and her grandson, Fernando, before she left for Nicaragua the next day. While she and Fernando drove back to her apartment, they were stopped a block away from her apartment by two cars surrounding their car. Fernando was shot in the head and Irma cried out for a doctor for her son. She was grabbed and taken away. Her body has not been recovered and it is believed she was executed. She had been the first white, middle-class, professional woman to have been abducted and presumably murdered
Forced disappearance
In international human rights law, a forced disappearance occurs when a person is secretly abducted or imprisoned by a state or political organization or by a third party with the authorization, support, or acquiescence of a state or political organization, followed by a refusal to acknowledge the...
in Guatemala during that time. Her son, Sergio, who had been sent to live in a kibbutz
Kibbutz
A kibbutz is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism...
in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
in 1970 after the grenade incident, had received menacing, anonymous phone calls in Israel after his mother's disappearance for two years, claiming that she had gone crazy and was living in a basement.
The Inter American Press Association investigated the case of Irma Flaquer as part of its impunity project, and the case was the first that the IAPA brought to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights is an autonomous organ of the Organization of American States .Along with the...
, which ruled that the Guatemalan government was responsible for her disappearance, at the very least by not protecting her as a public figure.
The investigation also led to a book Disappeared, A Journalist Silenced by June Carolyn Erlick (Seal Press, 2004).
External links
- Irma Flaquer Azurdia (Crimes Against Journalists: Impunity Project)