Guatemala police chief faces Geneva court
Guatemala police chief faces Geneva court
swissinfo.ch and agencies
May 15, 2014 - 11:30
The trial of the former head of Guatemala’s national police has opened in Geneva. Erwin Sperisen, who has dual Swiss-Guatemalan citizenship, is accused of planning, ordering or committing the extrajudicial killings of Guatemalan prisoners between 2005 and 2006.
Sperisen allegedly asked his subordinates to make it seem as though ten detainees had clashed with police in three separate incidents before they were shot.
According to the Geneva prosecutor’s office, Sperisen, because of his rank, played a decisive role in the killings. In one case, he allegedly carried out one of the executions himself.
Sperisen is notably believed to have ordered the execution of three prisoners who attempted to escape from a prison centre in November and December 2005, with the scene altered to make it seem like there had been a shoot-out with the police.
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