JUSTICE IN GUATEMALA VITAL FOR PREVENTING RECURRENCE OF HEINOUS CRIMES, SAY UN EXPERTS

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From: UNNews <UNNews@un.org>
Date: 15 May 2013 17:00:00 -0400
Subject: JUSTICE IN GUATEMALA VITAL FOR PREVENTING RECURRENCE OF
HEINOUS CRIMES, SAY UN EXPERTS
To: news11@ny-mail-p-lb-028.ptc.un.org

JUSTICE IN GUATEMALA VITAL FOR PREVENTING RECURRENCE OF HEINOUS
CRIMES, SAY UN EXPERTS
New York, May 15 2013 5:00PM
Establishing truth and justice in Guatemala is essential to ensuring
that heinous crimes such as arbitrary executions, rape and forced
displacement – committed during the country's civil war – do not take
place again and to ending impunity, a group of independent United
Nations experts said today.

"Justice is the best guarantee to prevent the recurrence of these
crimes," the experts stressed in a news release, following last
Friday's court ruling that sentenced the former head of State, José
Efraín Ríos Montt, for genocide and crimes against humanity.

Mr. Ríos Montt was sentenced on Friday to 80 years for his leading
role in the killing of 1,771 people during his time in office between
1982 and 1983, as well as for the forced displacement, starvation,
torture, and systematic rape and sexual assault that were deliberately
inflicted on Guatemala's Mayan Ixil communities.

A three-judge panel concluded that Mr. Ríos Montt had ordered the
plans that led to the genocide, had full knowledge of the atrocities
committed, and did nothing to stop them despite having the power to do
so. In all, some 200,000 people – over 80 per cent of them of
indigenous Mayan origin – were killed during the 36-year-long civil
war, but the period of Ríos Montt's rule is considered one of the
bloodiest in the conflict.

The conviction was welcomed by UN High Commissioner Navi Pillay, who
hailed Guatemala for making history by becoming the first country in
the world to convict a former head of State for genocide in its own
national court.

For the UN experts, the decision represents "a profoundly significant
milestone" in the long process of transitional justice in Guatemala,
stated today's news release.

"The judgment is an example for many other countries struggling to
address the rights of victims to truth, justice, reparation and
guarantees of non-recurrence after periods of mass atrocities," said
the Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation
and guarantees of non-recurrence, Pablo de Greiff.

"This decision reflects the principle that the most marginalized
people have the same right to justice as the most powerful, one of the
most fundamental principles of the rule of law," he added.

The members of the UN Working Group on enforced or involuntary
disappearances recalled the large number of enforced disappearances
during the bloodiest years of the civil war, noting that "this verdict
represents a breakthrough in the fight against impunity and
demonstrates that no one today can be above the law."

"Our thoughts are with the victims of the heinous crimes committed
during the civil war and their families," they said. "We also have in
mind the women and men who testified during the hearings of this trial
on the massive violations of which they were victims."

The Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary
executions, Christof Heyns, welcomed the outcome of the trial, calling
it "a long awaited first step" towards ending impunity in Guatemala.

"It is particularly significant that the legal system of the State in
question has investigated, prosecuted and punished one of its former
highest office bearers," he said.

In addition, James Anaya, Special Rapporteur on the rights of
indigenous peoples, noted that "the historic judgement against Rios
Montt for genocide against indigenous Maya Ixil people during the
1980s represents an important step towards reconciliation and the
building of new relations between the Government of Guatemala and the
indigenous peoples of the country."

The Special Rapporteurs dealing with violence against women and
torture also welcomed the ruling, hailing it has an important step in
the fight to end impunity and in addressing the suffering of victims,
as well as in providing an example on how countries can comply with
the obligation to investigate, prosecute and punish those responsible
for human rights violations.

Also applauding the delivery of justice were the Special Rapporteurs
on the independence of judges and lawyers and on human rights
defenders.

Independent experts, or special rapporteurs, are appointed by the
Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a
country situation or a specific human rights theme. They work in an
unpaid capacity.
May 15 2013 5:00PM
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