Guatemala\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s top court has overturned the genocide conviction of the country\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s former dictator Efrain Rios Montt, ordering his trial to restart.\n<\/p>\n
The move came on Monday, about ten days after a three-judge panel convicted the 86-year-old of genocide and crimes against humanity, sentencing him to 80 years in prison.\n<\/p>\n
The constitutional court\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s secretary Martin Guzman said that the trial needed to go back to where it stood on April 19 in order to resolve several appeal issues.\n<\/p>\n
The sentencing earlier this month was hailed by many Guatemalans, as it was the first time a former Latin American ruler was convicted of such crimes.\n<\/p>\n
According to the panel, Rios Montt failed to prevent the killings of some 1,771 Ixil Mayans during Guatemala’s civil war.\n<\/p>\n
Over 200,000 Guatemalan people were killed in the Guatemalan Civil War of 1960 to 1996, which pitted the right-wing government of Guatemala against various leftist rebel groups, mainly backed by Mayan indigenous people.\n<\/p>\n
Most of the victims of the war were indigenous people.\n<\/p>\n
In September 2011, Judge Carol Patricia Flores accused Rios Montt of genocide but could not prosecute him because he had immunity from prosecution as a congressman.\n<\/p>\n
SZH\/HN<\/p>\n