Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Former head of Guatemala's police force sentenced to 70 yrs in prison

Pedro Garcia Arredondo, a former head of Guatemala's police force has been sentenced to 70 years in prison for the kidnapping of a student, Edgar Saenz,  in 1981.

Mr Saenz remains missing to this day.

Garcia, who headed the national police from 1974-1982 is the most senior Guatemalan police official to be jailed for war crimes  during the 1960-96 war.

An estimated 200,000 people were killed or went missing during Guatemala's 36-year civil war.

The conflict was fought between US-backed right-wing governments and left-wing rebels supported by indigenous people and the rural poor.

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