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Now the atrocity archives in the second of two

programmes, Jerry Northern reports from Guatemala, on the finding and release

of secret documents dating from the country's civil war, their potential

and their dangers.

There's nothing about this desolate place on the northern outskirts of

Guatemala City to suggest just how significant it is.

Past the heaps of rusting car bodies, among the weeds,

the old square concrete buildings could be just another of the

local industries, but inside them something of

international importance is happening. These buildings

are the headquarters of the local police force during Guatemala's 36

years of political terror. The city's most oppressive

police unit was based here, kidnapping, torturing

and murdering its enemies by the thousand.

And by an extraordinary chance the millions of documents making up police records

have been discovered and are being catalogued and made public.

For these BBC World Service programmes

I've come to Guatemala City looking for the stories hidden away

in the atrocity archives. Opposite the police dog pound

...