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Rios Montt, Guatemalan dictator from humble start

Agence France-PresseMay 11, 2013 04:58
Efrain Rios Montt, the first Latin American ex-dictator convicted of genocide, led Guatemala for a brief and brutal period in the 1980s when government forces committed the worst abuses of the country's civil war. Thirty years after leaving office, the 86 year-old Rios Montt denied all responsibility in court even as a judge on Friday found him guilty of the slaughter of 1,771 native Ixile Maya natives during his 1982-1983 de facto government.

Former Guatemala dictator Rios Montt convicted of genocide

May 10, 2013 17:30
By Mike McDonald GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - Former Guatemalan dictator Efrain Rios Montt was found guilty on Friday of genocide and crimes against humanity during the bloodiest phase of the country's 36-year civil war and was sentenced to 80 years in prison. Hundreds of people who were packed into the courtroom burst into applause, chanting, "Justice!" as Rios Montt received a 50-year term for the genocide charge and an additional 30 years for crimes against humanity.

Guatemalan judge reopens genocide trial of Rios Montt

May 7, 2013 11:11
By Mike McDonald GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - A Guatemalan judge on Thursday restarted the genocide trial of former dictator Efrain Rios Montt following a two-week suspension due to a fight over who should oversee the case. Judge Yasmin Barrios resumed the trial from the point at which it abruptly stopped on April 19, accepting video evidence from the defense set to have been presented last month.

Guatemala to seek US probe into migrant deaths

Agence France-PresseMay 4, 2013 17:15
Guatemala will ask Washington to investigate the deaths of two of its nationals at a US detention center for undocumented immigrants, an official here said Saturday. The request will ask US immigration authorities "to clarify the circumstances which gave rise to the unfortunate deaths of the detained Guatemalans," said Alejandra Gordillo of the Guatemalan National Council for Migrants.

Church hails slain bishop as crusader for peace in Guatemala

Agencia EFEApril 26, 2013 18:30
Guatemala City, Apr 26 (EFE).- Guatemala's Catholic Church marked Friday's 15th anniversary of the brutal murder of Bishop Juan Jose Gerardi by remembering the slain cleric as a peace activist and defender of human rights. Gerardi was a "martyr for peace" who devoted himself to Guatemala's downtrodden peasants and indigenous people, Archbishop Oscar Julio Vian said in a service at Guatemala City's Metropolitan Cathedral. "He struggled to build a fairer and more worthy society (and) sought peace through truth and justice," Guatemala's Catholic primate said.

Rios Montt genocide trial up in air as Guatemalan judges squabble

April 19, 2013 15:15
By Mike McDonald GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - The genocide trial of former Guatemalan dictator Efrain Rios Montt was mired in uncertainty on Friday as judges squabbled over who should hear the case following an order to annul nearly 18 months of proceedings. The trial was suspended on Thursday when Judge Patricia Flores, who was originally assigned to the case, ruled all actions taken since she was recused in November 2011 were void, citing an order from the country's top courts.

Judge suspends genocide trial of Guatemala's Rios Montt

April 18, 2013 19:15
By Mike McDonald GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - A judge suspended the genocide trial of former Guatemalan dictator Efrain Rios Montt on Thursday, saying all actions taken since November 2011 are void in the case of the retired general charged with war crimes. Judge Patricia Flores told a court in Guatemala City that the order had come from the country's top courts to suspend the trial because she had been wrongly removed from the case, prompting complaints that the ruling made a mockery of justice.

Mexico wants secure border with Guatemala, foreign secretary says

April 14, 2013 15:28
Mexico City, 13 abr (EFE).- Mexico wants its border with Guatemala to be "properous and secure," Foreign Relations Secretary Jose Antonio Meade said. Meade inspected the Mexican-Guatemalan border region on Saturday with SAT tax agency chief Aristoteles Nuñez Sanchez. He later met with Chiapas Gov. Manuel Velasco in the city of Comitan de Dominguez.

Expert: 8 out of 10 victims shot in the head

April 12, 2013 16:19
Experts at the trial of a former U.S.-backed Guatemalan dictator have clashed over whether genocide took place during the country's civil war.Forensic anthropologist Fredy Peccerelli says there is evidence that eight out of 10 Ixil Mayans killed while military strongman Efrain Rios Montt was in power died from gunshot wounds to the head. Peccerelli told the court Wednesday that those numbers are above what's expected in a combat situation and provide evidence of execution-style killings. Peccerelli was brought in by prosecutors.The defense expert, Gen.

Guatemala counting on tourism to boost economy

April 8, 2013 20:30
Guatemala City, Apr 8 (EFE).- The Guatemalan Tourism Institute, or Inguat, will increase advertising the country as a destination for foreign visitors with the aim of boosting the economy. The markets of the United States, Canada and Mexico, as well as El Salvador and Honduras, are the primary areas for promoting Guatemala as a vacation destination, Inguat director Pedro Duchez told reporters.
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