Guatemala judge steps down in ex-dictator's case
Guatemala judge steps down in ex-dictator's case
Updated 03:38 p.m., Tuesday, February 21, 2012
GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — A Guatemalan judge overseeing the genocide case of former dictator Efrain Rios Montt stepped down Tuesday, accepting a defense request.
Judge Carol Patricia Flores made the announcement just before a hearing at which she was to decide whether to drop charges against Rios Montt because of an amnesty law.
The removal stemmed from a complaint filed in November by defense lawyers of a general also involved in the case who accused the judge of being biased.
Rios Montt ruled Guatemala in 1982-83 after a military coup. He is accused in 1,771 deaths, 1,400 human rights violations and the displacement of 29,000 indigenous Guatemalans.
More:
http://www.chron.com/news/article/Guatemala-judge-steps-down-in-ex-dictator-s-case-3347231.php