The lawyers’ decision was announced at the beginning of the oral and public debate in it High Risk Court ‘A’ of the Guatemalan Judicial Branch, so the process will continue on next April 5 after its rescheduling.
Lucas Garcia92 years old, will now be represented by a public attorney appointed by the statethe jurist Teresa Martínez Velásquez, in replacement of Jorge Lucas y Yeiny Ortizwho were in charge of the former military man’s defense.
The former general of Guatemalan Army appeared at the oral hearing and public by teleconferencesince it is located in house arrestdue to his age, due to another case against him.
Lucas Garcia, former chief of the General Staff of the Guatemalan Army between 1982 and 1983, it is syndicated by the slaughter of 1 thousand 771 indigenous people in the north of the country during internal armed conflict (1960-1996).
The ex-military man is accused of crimes of genocide, duties against humanity, forced disappearance and sexual violence.
The victims of the slaughterbetween 1982 and 1983, are Mayan Ixil indigenous peoplewho is he Guatemalan army considered as “enemies of the state” during the internal war, according to the Human Rights Office of the Archbishopric of Guatemala (Odhag), who is acting as the complainant in the case.
The former military leader is brother of the deceased former president Fernando Romeo Lucas García (1978-1982).
The also deceased dictator José Efraín Ríos Monttwho governed de facto between 1982-1983, was captured, tried and convicted in 2013 to 80 years in prison for the same case.
However, due to errors in the process, the Constitutional Courtthe highest court of justice of Guatemala, annulled the sentence y ordered a new trial.
The internal armed conflict in Guatemala was one of the bloodiest on the continent and left at least 240 thousand people murdered or disappeared, according to figures from reports released by International organizations.
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