Friday 27 January 2012

A Victory for Human Right Defenders in Guatemala

We arrive in Guatemala to breaking news. The New York Times wrote yesterday that, "Efraín Ríos Montt, Guatemala’s former military dictator, was ordered by a Guatemalan judge on Thursday to stand trial on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity."

Thirty years ago Pamela Yates made the film "When the Mountains Tremble" during the time of Efrain Rios Montt's rule in Guatemala. The film was narrated by Nobel Laureate Rigoberta Menchu Tum.
After “When the Mountains Tremble” was shown publicly for the first time in Guatemala in 2003, Ms. Yates was approached by a lawyer there who wondered if her outtakes might contain material incriminating General Ríos Montt, now 85, and other military leaders. It turned out that they did, most notably an interview with General Ríos Montt in which he boasts of his power, and that moment led to the making of “Granito,” which early on shows Ms. Yates going through old film canisters."

This excerpt is from the article "Old Footage Haunts a General and a Director"

This evening Rachel and I will attending a screening of "Granito" with the delegation.