Former Guatemalan dictator to go before court for genocide

PanARMENIAN.Net - A court in Guatemala ordered the trial of former dictator Efrain Rios Montt for genocide and crimes against humanity, DPA reported.

The judge decided that Rios Montt, 85, had a case to answer but ordered him to be held under house arrest during the trial because of his age.

Rios Montt is accused of genocide against the Ixil ethnic group during the Central American country's civil war. Prosecutors outlined attacks that led to more than 1,700 deaths. The former general refused to respond to the charges.

During the 36-year civil war, the military regime obliterated numerous villages to prevent ethnic minority groups linking up with left-wing guerillas.

The civil war, which killed about 200,000 people, ended in 1996.

The former dictator, who ruled from 1982-83, had managed to avoid prosecution until recently because of the immunity that came with his status as a legislator. He lost his immunity when his term in office expired this month after failing to be re-elected in November.