Former Guatemala dictator's amnesty appeal denied

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Agence France-Presse

Former Guatemala dictator's amnesty appeal denied
By AFP 1 hour ago .

A Guatemalan appeals court rejected an amnesty request from former dictator Efrain Rios Montt, whose retrial for genocide during the country's civil war is due to begin in January, the civil parties to the case said Thursday.

The court found the appeal, which would have ended the criminal proceedings, was "unfounded," the Association for Justice and Reconciliation and the Center for Legal Action on Human Rights said in a statement.

"This is a very important decision as it confirms that amnesty cannot be granted for the crime of genocide," the groups added.

The 89-year-old former general, who ruled the Central American country from 1982 to 1983, is accused of ordering the massacre of more than 1,770 Ixil Maya indigenous people.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/world/former-guatemala-dictator-s-amnesty-appeal-denied/article/446027#ixzz3o1kns8So

[McKim]

1. Great News for Human Rights

This is great news. I have been to Guatemala three times on human rights visits and the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee has been working on the genocide issue for decades. I am happy tonight as this decision makes people all over the world safer. What goes around comes around.