Relatives of Murdered Belgian Priests Initiate Criminal Investigation into Crimes Against Humanity while Spanish Court Dismisses Complaint of Rigoberta Menchu

On December 2, 1999 Nobel Prize winner Rigoberta Menchu filed a complaint with the Spanish National Court of Justice. The complaint accuses eight Guatemalan military and political leaders – amongst others former dictator Rios Montt of crimes against humanity, genocide and torture. Since the perpetrators still enjoy de facto impunity in Guatemala and the number of human rights violations by the authorities has risen again, Menchu decided not to file the complaint with a Guatemalan court, but with the Spanish court…[more]