Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Judi Lynn

(160,542 posts)
Tue Jul 7, 2015, 06:10 PM Jul 2015

Former Guatemalan Despot Efrain Rios Montt Incompetent to Stand Trial: Doctors

Source: Agence France-Presse

Former Guatemalan Despot Efrain Rios Montt Incompetent to Stand Trial: Doctors

World | Agence France-Presse | Updated: July 08, 2015 02:34 IST

Guatemala City: Former Guatemalan dictator Efrain Rios Montt, charged with genocide during a brief but particularly brutal period of the country's civil war, is incompetent to stand trial, doctors said Tuesday.

Rios Montt, 89, "is not in full use of his mental faculties, is not able to understand any of the charges against him, cannot understand the elements of a trial or judicial procedures and cannot contribute to his own defense," said a report by the Guatemalan Medical Examiner's Office.

The report was presented as evidence to a mid-level court to determine if he should be tried over the death of 201 farmers during his iron-fisted rule in the early 1980s.

But his lawyers say the report also affects a separate, much bigger case, one in which the aging ex-despot is charged with the genocide of Maya Indians.

Read more: http://www.ndtv.com/world-news/former-guatemalan-despot-efrain-rios-montt-incompetent-to-stand-trial-doctors-779211



[center]

Efrain Rios Montt and his strong supporter, Ronald Reagan. [/center]
4 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Former Guatemalan Despot Efrain Rios Montt Incompetent to Stand Trial: Doctors (Original Post) Judi Lynn Jul 2015 OP
the bastard found a way to avoid accountability nt geek tragedy Jul 2015 #1
Cry Me a River! McKim Jul 2015 #2
hey, worked for Pinochet MisterP Jul 2015 #3
Efrain Rios Montt stands to get away with the murder of 2000 indigenous Maya people Judi Lynn Jul 2015 #4

McKim

(2,412 posts)
2. Cry Me a River!
Tue Jul 7, 2015, 06:55 PM
Jul 2015

Well, the judge found a way to get around being shot for prosecuting Rios Montt. I have seen the bones of those massacred at the Center for Forensic Anthropology in Guatemala City. I have talked with survivor groups and their grandchildren. Many groups have participated in the struggle for Justice all over the world. This is an outrage.

MisterP

(23,730 posts)
3. hey, worked for Pinochet
Tue Jul 7, 2015, 11:18 PM
Jul 2015

interestingly the future Iran-Contra players all preferred Lucas García and backed coups against the "reformer": Ríos was favored by the Pentagon and DoS "COIN clique" whose plan was "bomb them, shoot them at random to drive them into 'protected hamlets,' and then roll in the dentists and Army clowns to strengthen their love of the state"

Judi Lynn

(160,542 posts)
4. Efrain Rios Montt stands to get away with the murder of 2000 indigenous Maya people
Wed Jul 8, 2015, 11:39 AM
Jul 2015

Efrain Rios Montt stands to get away with the murder of 2000 indigenous Maya people

PUBLISHED 17:11 July 8, 2015 UPDATED 17:24 July 8, 2015

By NEOnline | IR

The former dictator of Guatemala, Efrain Rios Montt, was proclaimed mentally unfit to stand trial on charges of genocide.

On Tuesday, the country’s forensic authority declared the 89-year-old man unable to defend himself on charges of organizing the systematic extermination of 2,000 indigenous Maya during a particularly brutal stretch of the country’s 36-year civil war, the National Forensic Science Institute determined.

Rios Montt is accused that during his 1982-83 rule he implemented a scorched-earth policy against native Central American nation in a conflict that claimed as many as 250,000 lives.

This decision does not oblige the court to drop the genocide case, but it is a strong argument for the defense team in a hearing scheduled for 23 July. Notably, Rios Montt was already found guilty of the genocide in May 2013, but the country’s constitutional court annulled the case on procedural grounds.

More:
http://www.neurope.eu/article/guatemalan-mass-murderer-evades-trial/

Latest Discussions»Latest Breaking News»Former Guatemalan Despot ...