Genocide in Guatemala: Tragic History and Pursuit of Justice
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Guatemala Genocide
Perpetrators
When: March 23, 1982 – August 8, 1983
Who: Guatemalan dictator during civil war
Efrain Rios Montt
(1926 – April 1, 2018)
Dictator of Guatemala
Jose Mauricio
Rodriguez Sanchez
(1946 – Present)
Chief of Military Intelligence
Luis Enrique Mendoza
(Unknown – Present)
Military Head of Operations
Ixil Genocide Victims
Dead:
1,771
Causes:
Torture, mass executions
Targets:
Indigenous Ixil Mayans
Refugees and IDPs:
up to 200,000
Uncovering mass graves of the Ixil.
Refugees
How many?:
up to 200,000 between 1981 - 1984
Where did they go?:
Mexico
How were they treated?:
Registered and allowed to stay in
camps or local communities in Mexico
Who supported them?:
UNHCR, the Mexican government
Did they go home?:
43,000 returned to Guatemala in 1999
Summary of Genocide - Timeline
March 23, 1982:
Rios Montt seized
power in a coup.
July 1982:
Guatemalan
Army descended on the
Ixil region, burning
houses, murdering men,
women and children,
destroying fields, and
killing livestock.
March
1982
August
1983
August 8, 1983:
General Mejia Victores
overthrew Rios Montt.
December 1982:
Massacre
in the town of Dos Erres
where soldiers killed more
than 250 people.
April 1982:
Rios Montt
launched a “scorched-earth”
campaign against the Ixil.
What’s Happened Since?
1996:
End of Guatemalan civil war.
1999:
An UN-sponsored group found the Guatemalan government responsible for
the 1982 genocide.
July 2006:
A Spanish court charged Rios Montt and 8 others with torture,
genocide and state terrorism, but Guatemalan courts declared the arrest warrants
invalid.
March 19, 2013:
Rios Montt’s trial before Guatemala Supreme Court started.
May 10, 2013:
Guatemalan Supreme Court sentenced Rios Montt to 80 years in
prison for genocide and crimes against humanity.
July 2015
: Rios Montt was found mentally incapable of standing trial.
April 1, 2018:
Rios Montt died in Guatemala City.
September 2018:
Guatemalan judges unanimously ruled that the country’s
military carried out genocide and crimes against humanity.
June 2019:
Luis Enrique Mendoza is arrested while voting in general elections.
Resources
“Rios Montt Trial a Milestone for Justice”: Human Rights Watch press release:
https://www.hrw.org/news/2013/01/28/guatemala-rios-montt-trial-milestone-
justice
“State of Violence in Guatemala, 1960-1996”: American Association for the
Advancement of Science:
http://www.aaas.org/sites/default/files/migrate/uploads/Guatemala_en.pdf
Frontline World Timeline:
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/guatemala704/history/timeline.html#
The New Yorker:
http://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-maya-
genocide-trial
BBC News:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-43611867
New York Times:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/01/obituaries/efrain-rios-
montt-Guatemala-dead.html
NBC News:
https://www.nbcnew.com/news/latino/former-Guatemalan-dictator-
efrain-rios-montt-dies-leaving-bitter-legacy-n861976
Al Jazeera:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/09/guatemala-military-carried-
genocide-court-rules-180927145730845.html
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, civil war plagued Guatemala as military rulers liquidated their political opponents. Leftist guerilla movements initially obtained the support of some indigenous Maya, who viewed the guerillas as the last hope for redressing the economic and political marginalization of the indigenous communities. However, this link between the Maya and the guerillas eventually became an idée fixe for the government, who perceived all Maya as natural allies of the insurrection, and thus as enemies of the state. The natural extension of this belief was the deliberate targeting of the civilian population, in order to “starve” guerilla forces of their popular support.
The Guatemala genocide, perpetrated by military dictator Rios Montt, inflicted horrific atrocities on the indigenous Ixil Mayans from 1982 to 1983. Massacres, torture, and displacement marked this dark chapter. Despite international condemnation and legal actions, justice remains elusive.
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Presentation Transcript
Perpetrators When: March 23, 1982 August 8, 1983 Who: Guatemalan dictator during civil war Luis Enrique Mendoza (Unknown Present) Military Head of Operations Efrain Rios Montt (1926 April 1, 2018) Dictator of Guatemala Jose Mauricio Rodriguez Sanchez (1946 Present) Chief of Military Intelligence
Ixil Genocide Victims Dead: 1,771 Causes: Torture, mass executions Targets: Indigenous Ixil Mayans Refugees and IDPs: up to 200,000 Uncovering mass graves of the Ixil.
Refugees How many?: up to 200,000 between 1981 - 1984 Where did they go?: Mexico How were they treated?: Registered and allowed to stay in camps or local communities in Mexico Who supported them?: UNHCR, the Mexican government Did they go home?: 43,000 returned to Guatemala in 1999
Summary of Genocide - Timeline July 1982: Guatemalan Army descended on the Ixil region, burning houses, murdering men, women and children, destroying fields, and killing livestock. August 8, 1983: General Mejia Victores overthrew Rios Montt. March 23, 1982: Rios Montt seized power in a coup. August 1983 March 1982 April 1982: Rios Montt launched a scorched-earth campaign against the Ixil. December 1982: Massacre in the town of Dos Erres where soldiers killed more than 250 people.
Whats Happened Since? 1996: End of Guatemalan civil war. 1999: An UN-sponsored group found the Guatemalan government responsible for the 1982 genocide. July 2006: A Spanish court charged Rios Montt and 8 others with torture, genocide and state terrorism, but Guatemalan courts declared the arrest warrants invalid. March 19, 2013: Rios Montt s trial before Guatemala Supreme Court started. May 10, 2013: Guatemalan Supreme Court sentenced Rios Montt to 80 years in prison for genocide and crimes against humanity. July 2015: Rios Montt was found mentally incapable of standing trial. April 1, 2018: Rios Montt died in Guatemala City. September 2018:Guatemalan judges unanimously ruled that the country s military carried out genocide and crimes against humanity. June 2019: Luis Enrique Mendoza is arrested while voting in general elections.
Resources Rios Montt Trial a Milestone for Justice : Human Rights Watch press release: https://www.hrw.org/news/2013/01/28/guatemala-rios-montt-trial-milestone- justice State of Violence in Guatemala, 1960-1996 : American Association for the Advancement of Science: http://www.aaas.org/sites/default/files/migrate/uploads/Guatemala_en.pdf Frontline World Timeline: http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/guatemala704/history/timeline.html# The New Yorker: http://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-maya- genocide-trial BBC News: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-43611867 New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/01/obituaries/efrain-rios- montt-Guatemala-dead.html NBC News: https://www.nbcnew.com/news/latino/former-Guatemalan-dictator- efrain-rios-montt-dies-leaving-bitter-legacy-n861976 Al Jazeera: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/09/guatemala-military-carried- genocide-court-rules-180927145730845.html
