The former military leader of the Guatemalan army, Efrain Rios Montt, has been summoned to appear before a Guatemalan court on Thursday as the first step towards facing genocide charges for his role during the massacres committed by the army in the Mayan highlands during 1982-1983.
General Rios Montt, now 85 and elected into Congress in 2000, was so far shielded from prosecution. However, that immunity ended earlier this month as his term in office expired.
An UN-backed commission deemed that over 200,000 people were killed or disappeared during the 36-year civil war.
General Rios Montt is the latest in a string of on-going prosecutions of war-time leaders.
See related articles:
Discovery of bodies raise possibility of further war crimes investigations - Guatemala (24 Nov 2011)
Former Guatemalan president wanted for genocide (15 Oct 2011)
Guatemalan war criminal to be extradited to US (05 Sep 2011)
Former Guatemala army chief charged with genocide (15 Jul 2011)
Genocide charges - thirty years on (18 Jun 2011)
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