The Blindfold's Eyes

Overview

"Dianna Ortiz has worked tirelessly to bring an end to torture around the world. Drawing on her own devastating experience, she has brought hope to the suffering and a vision of justice to the rest of us." --William Schultz, Executive Director, Amnesty International

This riveting and detailed story of courage, betrayal, and resurrection chronicles the personal journey of Dianna Ortiz, an Ursuline nun, who was abducted and tortured by the Guatemalan government. Her harrowing experience of the torture itself is almost overshadowed by the tribulations she endured with the U.S. and Guatemalan governments in the aftermath. The story she tells about human rights violations and the complicity of the United States government in the repressive Guatemalan political system is both shocking and enlightening.

Ortiz's narrative reveals her very personal struggle to recover from an ordeal that shook her faith in God. It also helps fulfill her promise to speak for those who have no voice, the thousands of disperdicios, or the disappeared, who were victims of the the Guatemalan death squads. Her quest for the truth and her mission to speak out on behalf of others tortured all around the world is proof that at the core of the human spirit there is a force stronger than violence and fear.

Sister Dianna Ortiz, an Ursuline nun, is Director of the Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition International (TASCC) in Washington, D.C. She has received numerous honors and awards, including an Ashoka Fellowship, the Pax Christi National Peacemaker Award, and the 2003 U.S. Catholic Award.

Patricia Davis is a writer and human rights activist who lives in Washington, D.C.