Former Guatemalan Dictator Released from Psychiatric Hospital

Former Guatemalan Dictator Released from Psychiatric Hospital
Published 12 August 2015 (10 hours 46 minutes ago)

The courts will hear from doctors next week to see if the retired general is mentally fit to face a retrial for charges of genocide.



Former Guatemalan dictator Efrain Rios Montt was released from a psychiatric hospital Tuesday, after undergoing seven days of tests that effectively delayed his retrial for charges of genocide and crimes against humanity.

Attorney Jaime Hernandez, who is part of Rios Montt's defense team, confirmed that psychiatrists had finished their assessment of the 89-year-old retired-general and submitted their final report to the Public Ministry, about one week earlier than planned.

The court must now wait until Aug 18 when it will hear testimony from the doctors who examined Rios Montt and the ministry to determine whether he is physically and mentally fit to face the severe charges.

Rios Montt is accused of killing at least 1,771 Guatemalans in the Mayan area of Ixil, committing 1,400 human rights violations, and displacing tens of thousands of indigenous people during his 1980's dictatorship. His military regime marked one of the bloodiest periods of Guatemala's 36-year civil war (1960-1996).

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http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Former-Guatemalan-Dictator-Released-From-Psychiatric-Hospital-20150812-0007.html