Survivor Recounts Family's Murder in Guatemala's Genocide Trial; Former Army Head Charged with Crimes Against Indigenous Maya Ixil
A mass genocide trial was held in Guatemala this week, reopening old wounds from the country's 36-year-long civil war.
Juan Brito López, now 70 years old, testified in High Risk Court A about the murder of his family in the village of Pexla in 1982.
Soldiers raided his home during the crackdown on leftist rebels, killing his wife and four daughters and burning their bodies inside their home.
Brito López was in his mid-20s at the time and managed to escape.
The trial brings attention to the atrocities committed during the conflict, which ended in 1996.
In the 1980s, Guatemala experienced a violent counterinsurgency campaign that resulted in over 200,000 deaths, with 83% being indigenous Maya people.
The former head of Guatemala's army, Manuel Benedicto Lucas García, is currently on trial for his role in the massacre, specifically in the western Quiche region.
Witnesses, including Brito López, have testified that troops under Lucas García's command killed men, women, and children, forcing the indigenous Maya Ixil people to flee their homes.
The trial, which began in 2021, is expected to involve over 150 witnesses, 30 survivors of sexual violence, and numerous forensic experts.
A retired general, Lucas García, testified in front of a large screen while his impassive figure was broadcasted via video link from a military hospital.
He is currently indicted for genocide, crimes against humanity, forced disappearances, and sexual violence against the Maya Ixil people by the Association for Justice and Reconciliation (AJR).
The former laborer, who sometimes cried during his testimony, was among the victims.
Soldiers raided his home during the crackdown on leftist rebels, killing his wife and four daughters and burning their bodies inside their home.
Brito López was in his mid-20s at the time and managed to escape.
The trial brings attention to the atrocities committed during the conflict, which ended in 1996.
In the 1980s, Guatemala experienced a violent counterinsurgency campaign that resulted in over 200,000 deaths, with 83% being indigenous Maya people.
The former head of Guatemala's army, Manuel Benedicto Lucas García, is currently on trial for his role in the massacre, specifically in the western Quiche region.
Witnesses, including Brito López, have testified that troops under Lucas García's command killed men, women, and children, forcing the indigenous Maya Ixil people to flee their homes.
The trial, which began in 2021, is expected to involve over 150 witnesses, 30 survivors of sexual violence, and numerous forensic experts.
A retired general, Lucas García, testified in front of a large screen while his impassive figure was broadcasted via video link from a military hospital.
He is currently indicted for genocide, crimes against humanity, forced disappearances, and sexual violence against the Maya Ixil people by the Association for Justice and Reconciliation (AJR).
The former laborer, who sometimes cried during his testimony, was among the victims.
Translation:
Translated by AI
