Former Leader of Guatemala Is Guilty of Genocide Against Mayan Group

[kladner]

GUATEMALA CITY — A Guatemalan court on Friday found Gen. Efraín Ríos Montt, the former dictator who ruled Guatemala during one of the bloodiest periods of its long civil war, guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity. Judge Yasmín Barrios sentenced General Ríos Montt, 86, to 80 years in prison.

It's been a long time coming, and whether it sticks is yet to be seen.

EDIT: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/11/wo...cide.html?_r=0

[ewmayer]

Too bad the murderous bastard got to live to a ripe old age before finally being called to account for his crimes.

Not to hijack the thread, but in happier contemporaneous news, a survivor of the Bangladesh garment-district building collapse has been found alive and well, over 2 weeks later. It's the usual case of the lucky soul who ended up in a "protected pocket" with food and water. This lady may have been lucky to get trapped in a factory break room where food was stored - possibly with a fridge acting as a collapse-resistant nearby object, the article doesn't say, and I'm perhaps wrongly speculating based on western-style break rooms.

The article also mentions the usual kind of "rumor of religious miracle" which are rife in such circumstances:

Initially, some officials said she had been discovered inside a Muslim prayer room but those accounts now appear to be wrong, Officer Karim said.

[kladner]

Originally Posted by ewmayer

Too bad the murderous bastard got to live to a ripe old age before finally being called to account for his crimes......

I wish him an even riper old age provided he spends it in prison. I'd like for him to have time to fully appreciate his change of status. Even then, it's likely to be cushier than average prisoner's digs.

[kladner]

Unfortunately, the conviction was overturned.