He Knew Better Times…
This man is accused of genocide and crimes against humanity… General Rios Montt has known better times… Author of a coup in Guatemala, he headed a ruthless counter insurgency campaign from 1982 to 1983. Guatemala’s 36-year long civil war during which some 200,000 Guatemalans were killed ended in 1996. General Rios Montt was indicted for genocide and crimes of humanity. He now stands trial in Guatemala City.
The Guatemalan refugee situation in Mexico was the first leg in the story I did on refugees in the world (see here).
I later worked on a Mam community in Todos Santos (see here) where General Rios Montt, himself born in Huehuetenango which is not that far, had the nerve to try and convince the Mam he so thoroughly persecuted to vote for a candidate of his party in the 1995 elections.
GUATEMALA. Todos Santos. 02/11/1995: General Rios Montt, former participant in a military coup, supporting the FRG candidate Alfonso Portillo. The FRG scored second at the 12/11/1995 elections.