Genocide trial of former Guatemala dictator begins [View all]
Genocide trial of former Guatemala dictator begins
by AFP
Wednesday, 20 March 2013, 11 : 30 am
Guatemala City: Former Guatemalan dictator Efrain Rios Montt went on trial Tuesday on genocide charges over the killing of almost 1,800 indigenous people during the dark days of his country's civil war.
The trial of the 86-year-old former strongman, who could face five decades in prison, had a raucous opening with the three-judge court rejecting several defense motions for a postponement, and expelling a lawyer representing Rios Montt.
Wearing a dark suit and polka dot tie, Rios Montt sat stone-faced between his two attorneys in a packed Supreme Court room. He requested a bathroom break as the court reviewed several objections lodged by his lawyers.
Some 500 people filled the courtroom, ranging from indigenous women and rights activists looking for justice to former right-wing paramilitary fighters and relatives of soldiers still loyal to Rios Montt's legacy.
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