GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — The genocide trial of former Guatemala dictator Jose Efrain Rios Montt resumed behind closed doors Friday as the 90-year-old retired general faces charges related to the killing of 1,771 Ixil Indians during his brief time in
GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — The genocide trial of former Guatemala dictator Jose Efrain Rios Montt resumed behind closed doors Friday as the 90-year-old retired general faces charges related to the killing of 1,771 Ixil Indians during his brief time in power.
The proceedings restarted after being suspended for more than a year while his lawyers argued that he was too senile to participate.
Rios Montt ruled from March 1982 to August 1983. His lawyers contend his faculties have deteriorated significantly, leaving him with no memory and unable to make decisions.
Rios Montt was convicted of genocide in 2013 and sentenced to 80 years in prison, but the country’s Constitutional Court threw out that conviction and ordered a new trial.
