May, 21 2013, 04:02pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Sam Husseini, (202) 347-0020; or David Zupan, (541) 484-9167
With Verdict Annulled, Guatemala Genocide Trial Can Continue
AP reports: "Guatemala's top court has thrown another curve into the genocide case of former dictator Efrain Rios Montt, overturning his conviction and ordering that the trial be taken back to the middle of the proceedings.
"The ruling late Monday threw into disarray a process that had been hailed as historic for delivering the first guilty verdict for genocide against a former Latin American leader."
WASHINGTON
AP reports: "Guatemala's top court has thrown another curve into the genocide case of former dictator Efrain Rios Montt, overturning his conviction and ordering that the trial be taken back to the middle of the proceedings.
"The ruling late Monday threw into disarray a process that had been hailed as historic for delivering the first guilty verdict for genocide against a former Latin American leader."
ALLAN NAIRN, allan.nairn at yahoo.com
Currently in New York City, Nairn is an investigative reporter who covered the recent trial in Guatemala and was slated to be a witness.
He said today: "The institutional army and the oligarchs have been worried that the Rios Montt verdict will interfere with their right to kill civilians.
"This court ruling has nothing to do with the law. Still, it annuls the sentence -- but not the trial, which can be continued again.
"This is another round in the political battle about whether Guatemala will enforce its murder laws."
Guatemala's current president, Otto Perez Molina, was interviewed on CNN en Espanol recently and questioned about Allan Nairn's charges of his culpability in crimes. Just after the question was asked, the satellite was mysteriously cut off; the reporter returned to it later in the interview. See: "Democracy Now!"
See Nairn's recent writings on his website: allannairn.org
A nationwide consortium, the Institute for Public Accuracy (IPA) represents an unprecedented effort to bring other voices to the mass-media table often dominated by a few major think tanks. IPA works to broaden public discourse in mainstream media, while building communication with alternative media outlets and grassroots activists.
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