Guatemala: Ex dictador to face genocide charges
Guatemala: Ex dictador to face genocide charges
The Associated Press
Published: Friday, January 27, 2012 at 2:09 p.m.
Last Modified: Friday, January 27, 2012 at 2:09 p.m.
The defense lawyer for former dictator Efrain Rios Montt said Friday that a Guatemalan judge violated due process when she issued unprecedented genocide charges against Rios Montt for conduct during the country's bloody civil war.
Danilo Rodriguez Galvez said Judge Carol Patricia Flores was supposed to issue her decision only after hearing testimony on allegations that Rios Montt was involved in hundreds of murders, human violations and the displacement of 29,000 during Guatemala's bloody, three-decade civil war.
Flores charged Rios Montt with genocide and crimes against humanity late Thursday.
It's the first time a Latin American court has charged former president with genocide.
Flores first lectured Rios Montt for an hour on the allegations, citing witness testimony, before issuing her decision, Rodriguez said. He said her conduct resembled a conviction and that he would file a formal complaint next week.
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