The International Human Rights Law Institute (IHRLI) at DePaul University is collecting keys which will be melted down to form a memorial dedicated to the memory of slain Archbishop Juan Gerardi and the 55,000 Guatemalans named in his report as victims of human rights abuses.

Gerardi was killed in April 1998, just days after publishing a report on human rights violations during the 30-year civil war in Guatemala. In his report, Gerardi interviewed ordinary Guatemalans, most of whom were either victims of horrendous acts or the perpetrators of those crimes. His report also named 55,000 persons killed during the "dirty war." Despite threats to his life, Gerardi vowed that he also would report the names of military officers he knew to be responsible for human rights abuses. Gerardi’s murder remains unsolved.

According to William Cartwright, acting director of the IHRLI, the key project at DePaul began after Yolanda de la Luz Aguilar Urizar, founder and coordinator of the Women and Human Rights Program of the Guatemalan Archbishop’s Office of Human Rights, spoke to IHRLI students and staff. Aguilar, who authored a section of Gerardi’s report that explored the effects of violence and sexual crimes against women, said keys collected from all over the world would be melted and used to build a monument in front of the cathedral in Guatemala City to honor Gerardi. The monument will include the names of all 55,000 people listed in Gerardi’s report.

Hundreds of keys have already been collected at DePaul and at an exhibit dedicated to Gerardi and the work of the IHRLI at the Jacqueline Ross Gallery, 1900 S. Halsted St. The exhibit is part of the gallery’s observance of the Day of the Dead, a celebration of the final fact of life developed from the blending of Spanish Catholicism and indigenous Mexican beliefs. The exhibit runs through Nov. 29.

"We want people to be aware of what happened in Guatemala, and especially to Archbishop Gerardi," said Cartwright. "When we look at the several hundred keys that we’ve collected so far we know that several hundred more people know what happened to Gerardi and the thousands of Guatemalans who suffered the most atrocious human rights abuses imaginable. DePaul’s involvement in the key project gives increased visibility to crucial events in Guatemala that should never be forgotten."

The IHRLI will donate the keys to the Archbishop’s office in a small ceremony on Nov. 29, the final day keys can be accepted. Keys can be mailed or dropped off to Cartwright at the IHRLI, 25 E. Jackson Blvd., Room 818, Chicago, IL, 60604. They can also be dropped off at the Jacqueline Ross Gallery. For information about gallery hours call 312/226-2828.