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May 23, 2012

Former U.S.-Backed Guatemalan Dictator Faces 2nd Genocide Trial 
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Former Guatemalan military dictator Efraín Ríos Montt is facing a
second trial on genocide charges for a ordering a 1982 massacre that
left 201 people dead. A Guatemalan judge has ruled Ríos Montt can be
prosecuted over the Dos Erres massacre, one of the most notorious of the
Guatemalan junta's crimes. Ríos Montt is already facing charges of
genocide and crimes against humanity in a separate case for ordering the
killings of at least 1,700 Maya indigenous people during his 17-month
rule. Appearing in court Tuesday, Ríos Montt defended his actions.

Efraín Ríos Montt: "I was the politician in charge of the state,
working to create a nationalistic spirit that was completely different
than the implication of the armed forces against subversion that was
trying to take force, that's all. So I would like to call attention to
the fact that I was simply trying to follow the law."

Ríos Montt seized power in 1982 in a military coup and has been accused
of overseeing the murders of 17,000 political opponents and dissidents.

 

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