Guatemala arrests 14 former officials for war-era crimes

[Judi Lynn]

Guatemala arrests 14 former officials for war-era crimes
Source: Reuters - Wed, 6 Jan 2016 16:47 GMT

GUATEMALA CITY, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Guatemala on Wednesday detained 14 ex-military officials, including the brother of a former president, for forced disappearances and crimes against humanity during the bloodiest period of its 36-year civil war.

. . .

Testimonies from victims helped officials locate 558 skeletons in a secret cemetery inside a military zone and connect them to the accused, said state prosecutor Orlando Lopez.

Over the past decade, the Central American country has begun prosecuting crimes from its civil war past, including massacres of women and children.

Guatemala's 1960-1996 civil war pitted a succession of right-wing governments against leftist insurgents and led to nearly a quarter-million deaths. A U.N.-backed truth commission said the armed forces carried out more than 80 percent of human rights abuses during the conflict.

http://www.trust.org/item/20160106165011-z3ro9/

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[Judi Lynn]

1. Guatemala: Ex-officials arrested for civil war killings

Guatemala: Ex-officials arrested for civil war killings
Associated Press
By SONIA PEREZ D.
18 minutes ago

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Prosecutors on Monday announced the arrest of several former military and government officials for alleged crimes against humanity committed during Guatemala's civil war, and initiated human rights proceedings against an ally of President-elect Jimmy Morales.

Among those arrested was Benedicto Lucas Garcia, a former army commander credited with founding paramilitary groups during the 1960-1996 conflict. He is also the brother of the late President Fernando Romeo Lucas Garcia, who ruled Guatemala with an iron fist from 1978 to 1982.

Also detained were retired Gen. Francisco Luis Gordillo, who helped bring former dictator Jose Efrain Rios Montt to power from 1982 to 1983, and Byron Barrientos, who was interior minister during the 2000-2004 presidency of Alfonso Portillo. The suspects face charges of crimes against humanity involving massacres and disappearances of people by security forces under their command.

"The cases that we have documented were (attacks) against the non-combatant civilian population including children," Attorney General Thelma Aldana said. She described them as among "the largest forced disappearances in Latin America."

More:
http://news.yahoo.com/guatemala-arrests-ex-presidents-brother-massacres-162001555.html