Rigoberta Menchu: Guatemalan Court Ruling on Crimes Against Humanity a 'Historic Event'
Published on Tuesday, January 20, 2015
by Common Dreams
Rigoberta Menchu: Guatemalan Court Ruling on Crimes Against Humanity a 'Historic Event'
Former police head sentenced to 90 years in prison for murder, crimes against humanity during Guatemala's decades-long civil war.
by Andrea Germanos, staff writer
In a decision human rights activists are welcoming as a victory for justice, a former police chief was sentenced Monday to 90 years in prison for murder and crimes against humanity during Guatemala's decades-long civil war.
In 1980 a group of students and indigenous people occupied the Spanish embassy in Guatemala City to protest their government's brutal actions. A fire broke out in the embassy, and, BBC continues:
according to the court, Pedro Garcia Arredondo ordered police to seal the embassy and prevent anyone from leaving.
Speaking in court, one witness said Garcia Arredondo had told his men: "No one gets out of there alive!". ...
The only ones to survive were the Spanish ambassador and activist Gregorio Yuja.
Mr Yuja was abducted from the hospital where he was being treated for burns sustained during the raid and tortured to death.
More:
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/01/20/rigoberta-menchu-guatemalan-court-ruling-crimes-against-humanity-historic-event