Genocide Trial Against Former Guatemala President General Ríos Montt to Start

The Center for Justice & Accountability will support the prosecution

On January 31, 2013, in a historic step, Guatemalan Judge Miguel Angel Galvez has decided to send to trial the case against former general Efrain Ríos Montt for genocide and crimes against humanity committed against the Mayan people, specifically the Ixil indigenous people. In the next few days, the prosecutors and the lawyers for the victims will present to the court their evidence and full list of witnesses.  During a trial that could last as long as three months, more than 150 survivors of the genocide are expected to testify. Culminating the tremendous Guatemalan and international justice effort to date, the legal strategy on behalf of the victims will include all the Guatemalan and international expert witness testimony and other evidence prepared by the Center for Justice and Accountability (CJA) for the Guatemalan Genocide case before the Spanish National Court.  The trial will begin on January 31, 2013. 

In 2006 and after all the efforts in Guatemala to obtain justice for the victims failed, a pioneer effort led by CJA’s international attorney resulted in the creation of an international legal team that strategized and worked together on pleadings before both the Spanish and Guatemalan courts, and most importantly developed evidence with an eye on both, to sufficiently prove the genocide before the Spanish court and to serve future justice efforts in Guatemala. During more than five years, over 40 survivors testified in Spain; CJA’s team prepared at least 12 expert witness-testimony reports from both Guatemalan and international professionals. We are proud to state today that all the work done by CJA’s team was always aimed at one goal, to advance and support a trial for Genocide before the Guatemalan courts. We celebrate this news and congratulate the diligence and perseverance of the Guatemalan prosecutor’s office, as we prepare to work with our Guatemalan friends on everything they will need in the next few weeks.

About Center for Justice and Accountability (CJA):

CJA is a San Francisco-based human rights organization dedicated to deterring torture and other severe human rights abuses around the world and advancing the rights of survivors to seek truth, justice and redress.  CJA uses litigation to hold perpetrators individually accountable for human rights abuses, develop human rights law, and advance the rule of law in countries transitioning from periods of abuse.  For more information please visit www.cja.org.