Guatemalan genocide
The Guatemalan genocide, also referred to as the Maya genocide, or the Silent Holocaust (Spanish: "Genocidio guatemalteco", "Genocidio maya", o "Holocausto silencioso"), was the massacre of Maya civilians during the Guatemalan military government's counterinsurgency operations. Massacres, forced disappearances, torture and summary executions of guerrillas and especially civilian collaborators at the hands of US-backed security forces had been widespread since 1965 and was a longstanding policy of the military regime, which US officials were aware of. A report from 1984 discussed "the murder of thousands by a military government that maintains its authority by terror". Human Rights Watch has described "extraordinarily cruel" actions by the armed forces, mostly against unarmed civilians.