News Update: October 28-November 1

Impeding or Furthering Justice in Guatemala

GHRC Assistant Director Kathryn Johnson and George Mason Professor Jo-Marie Burt discuss recent developments in the Rios Montt trial, focusing on how the decision will affect the future of justice in Guatemala.

IACHR affirms need for investigations of genocide

After the Constitutional Court opened the door for amnesty last week, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights reiterated today the need for a proper investigation of genocide, despite the Amnesty Law, and called on the country to put a stop to obstructions of this investigation. The UN High Commissioner on Human Rights also affirmed that amnesty should never apply to genocide.

Constitutional Court Paves the Way on Rios Montt Controversy

On Tuesday, the Constitutional Court rejected a measure by the Legal Action Center for Human Rights (CALDH) to clarify its ruling regarding the possibility of amnesty for Efrain Rios Montt. Now, the First Chamber of Criminal Appeals will have five days to rule why the application of Decree 8-86, which grants amnesty for crimes committed during the Rios Montt era, does not apply to Rios Montt’s case.

In a related article, Montt’s defense lawyer Francisco Garcia Gudiel discusses the recent request for amnesty in an interview with El Periodico.

GHRC and NISGUA hand over 2800 signatures demanding the release of Rubén Herrera

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Since Friday, March 15, Rubén Herrera, member of the Departmental Assembly of Huehuetenango for the Defense of Natural Resources has been imprisoned in Huehuetenango, Guatemalaemala. He is charged with crimes including kidnapping and terrorism allegedly committed in relation to resistance to the Cambalam hydroelectric dam, operated by Spanish owned Hidro Santa Cruz. Citing irregularities in his case, over 2800 people from 52 countries have signed a petition to Guatemala’s Public Prosecutor’s Office and President Otto Pérez Molina calling for Herrera’s immediate release. On May 22, GHRC and NISGUA staff handed over the signatures to the Prosecutor’s Office.