Civil Defense Patrols
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The Civil Defense Patrols (Spanish: Patrullas de Autodefensa Civil, PAC)[1][2] were local militias created by the government of Guatemala during the Guatemalan Civil War.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] They were created by decree of General Ríos Montt on 1 August 1982, though they began before that under President Fernando Romeo Lucas García.[2][3][5][6][8][9] Officially, participation was voluntary, but many were forced to join.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8] The patrols officially stopped 29 December 1996 under the terms of the peace treaty that ended the war,[1][2][3][6] though some of the network remained and was used by former members demanding compensation for their involvement.[1][3] Estimates vary, but statistics generally state that around 1,000,000 people were members of the patrols at the height of the war in 1983.[1][3][6][8] The members tortured and killed other villagers, sometimes at the threat of being killed themselves.[1][2][4][5][6][7][8][9]