PHOTO: SigloXXI Guatemala
Spanish judge Santiago Pedraz's warrant for the arrest of Rios Montt and others for genocide in Guatemala continues to send out shockwaves. Rios Montt's recent reaction where he denied the charges:
"I am accused of being a terrorist on a whim, but there was a guerrilla war on in Guatemala," he told reporters. "I got to power when communists had already won and Guatemala was lost."
Rios Montt's comments have been covered by Reuters and The Guardian in the UK.
In Guatemala there has been an avalanche of articles on attrocities committed by the guerilla, Edgar Gutierrez on the debate over genocide, a recent success for families of the disappeared. Siglo XXI with one of the best reports quotes Rios Montt as saying:
El líder eferregista resta importancia al informe de la Comisión de
Esclarecimiento Histórico, el cual reporta que durante su gestión
presidencial fueron cometidas más de 200 masacres. “No creo ni dejo de
creer; son relatos, es una buena telenovela”, afirma.
The over 200 massacres are: "simply fiction, a brilliant soap opera", according to Rios Montt. And what does that make his avoidance of justice? A suspense thriller, farce or just true horror movie of the worst kind perhaps?
