video transcript

Former Guatemalan dictator Efrain Rios Montt will stand trial for brutality under his rule, during the one of the bloodiest periods of the country's 36 year civil war. Evidence has linked Montt to the killing of more than 1,700 indigenous people in one counter-insurgency effort. Prosecutors allege that Montt turned a blind eye as soldiers used rape, torture and arson to rid Guatemala of leftist insurgents. They also charge that he conceived a counter-insurgency plan that killed 1,771 unarmed members of the lxil tribe that he said were aiding guerillas and drove another 29,000 into forced exodus. In today's court session he asked that his side be heard. "Madame Judge, as I said at the beginning, I am informed of the situations of the prosecutor and I understand his point of view but the judge shall give us the opportunity to discuss the other side of the coin so we can realise a just result, which is what the victims require: justice not vengeance." Judge Carol Flores agreed with prosecutors that Montt should be tried. She imposed a bail of more than $60,000, put him under house arrest and banned him from leaving the country. Outside the courtroom Juana Alicia Tiquira demonstrated her hope that this would help bring closure to a history of anguish. "We want justice because these cases cannot remain unpunished. There are thousands and thousands of brothers, children, men and women who were massacred during the internal armed conflict and what we are seeking now is justice. We are all present here; it doesn't matter if it's hot or cold we want justice." Defence attorneys claim that the 85 year old former leader did not control battlefield operations during that time, and therefore cannot be held responsible. Sarah Wali, Reuters.