Efraín Ríos Montt

Efraín Ríos Montt is a soldier and statesman of the Guatemala born on July 16th 1924 with Huehuetenango.

Career of officer and diplomat

It begins its military career like junior in 1946, graduate of the school of Americas located in the canal zone at Panama in 1950.

In 1954, then young officer, it plays a minor role in the Opération PBSUCCESS, coup d'etat, organized by the the CIA, which involves the fall of the Guatemalan president Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán. He will be promoted general in 1972 and then chief of the staff.

In 1973, he resigns of his station to the embassy of Guatemala with Washington, to take part in the Guatemalan presidential election of March 1974 like candidate of a coalition directed by the partido of Democracia Cristiana, beaten by his rival of the right wing, the general, by a difference in 70.000 votes, Rios Montt denounced a massive electoral fraud, reproaching the catholic priests for wondering about the fate of the catholic Maya communities and showing these same priests to be agents gauchists. It is shown to have perceived for several hundreds of thousands of American dollars of bribe during its stay with Madrid or it occupied a station of military attach3e to the embassy of Guatemala until in 1977.

In 1978, it left the Catholic church and will become minister of religion of the Church off the Word (Gospel Outreach), a evangelic church based in California; since then Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson were her personal friends.

Takeover

Frijoles Shoot there

The March 7th, 1982, the general, official candidate of the Frente Democratico Popular (FDP), successor designated of gained the presidential election which was largely denounced like having been sullied with fraud, by the opponents of right-hand side like left. The March 23rd, with the support of their comrades in arms, the general Horacio Egberto Maldonado Schaad, the colonel Francisco Shine Gordillo Martínez and Ríos Montt seizes the power by a Coup d'etat, discreetly supported by the CIA, depositing the general Romeo Lucas García. They install a military Junte with Ríos Montt at its head. The junta suspends immediately the Constitution, shut down the legislature, establishes secret courts, and starts a campaign against the Dissidents policies using the extra-legal removal, torture and assassinations. The coup d'etat was described like the work of Oficiales jovenes (young military officers), intended to prevent the nomination of Guevara at the position of president on July 1st.

At the time of its short presence to the capacity it sets up the Patrullas de Autodefensa Civil (CAP), Patrouilles of self-defense civil, recruited militiamans of force by the army and having like objective of éradiquer the Guérilla. Thus, 440 villages are completely shaved, nearly 10.000 massacred Indians or jetés by helicopter in the Pacific Ocean.

It is in its turn reversed at the time of a coup d'etat in August 1983 by its Minister for defense the general.

Return

In 1989, It founds it (FRG), Guatemalan republican Front and tries to present to the presidential election 1990, but was prevented by it by a decision of the constitutional court, basing itself on an article of the constitution of the country, preventing the participants in a coup d'etat from becoming president.

Deputy FRG of 1990 with 2004, it was elected in 1994 president of the Chambre unicamérale, his attempt to take part in presidential of 1994 also prevented, it supported his colleague and friend of FRG , at the station of candidate to the election for the presidency of the republic, election, that Portillo lost little in 1995 and gained in 1999.

In August 1999 allowed Portillo the participation of the Guatemalan government in the attacks in the human rights during the 20 previous years, including for both Massacre S having taken place during the presidency of Ríos Montt. The Plane first with of Sánchez, with the Baja Verapaz, causing the death of 268 people, as with Dos Wander with the Petén, where more than 200 people were assassinated.

In 2000 Ríos Montt becomes president of the Congress.

Candidate with presidential of 2003

Rios Montt was indicated, by FRG , in May 2003, for the next one, but its candidature, and once more was initially rejected by the electoral registry and two lower jurisdictions. In July 2003, more the Guatemalan high jurisdiction, which included/understood several magistrates appointed from the FRG, its candidature for the position of president approved openly being unaware of a constitutional prohibition which prohibits the former dictators from aspiring to the position of president, which had to prevent it from taking part in the preceding presidential elections, and of which he declared that she had especially been written in order to prohibit to him to take part.

Later, although the supreme court suspended its presidential campaign and considered to be admissible a complaint, emanating from two parties of center-right, aiming at prohibiting, constitutionally, the general from claiming with the presidential function. Ríos Montt denounced this stop as being a legal handling and, called, in a broadcast declaration, its partisans to be expressed in the streets against this decision. The July 24th, this day from now on is called (Black Thursday), of the thousands of sympathizers of the FRG masked and armed with machetes, sticks and rifles, the streets of Guatemala Ciudad invaded. Transported by bus of all the areas of the country by the FRG, unquestionable participating declared that the people working in municipalities controlled by the FRG had been threatened with redundancy if they would refuse to take part in the protest. The demonstrators blocked circulation, entonnèrent slogans threatening and held up their machetes.

Head of the procession one found militants FRG well-known, including eminent members of the congress, which was photographed by the press earlier in the morning whereas they coordinated the actions in company of the personal secretary of, the girl of the general. The demonstrators walked in direction of the courts, the seats of the opposition parties and the newspapers, setting fire to buildings, drawing in direction from the windows and extreme cars and tires in the streets. A Journalist of television, died of an heart attack by fleeing crowd. After two days of destruction in the main arteries of Ciudad Guatemala, the rioters dispersed when an audio recording of Rios Montt was diffused by loudspeakers, inviting them to return to their homes.

The situation was so chaotic during the weekend that the buildings of the UNO and those of the embassy of the United States were closed. In 2003, it is presented to the presidential election. After a legal battle which turns in its favor (the constitution indeed prohibits to the former participants in a coup d'etat to arise), it is beaten at the time of the first turn on November 9th, 2003.

The general Efraín Ríos Montt is Pasteur evangelic close to Pat Robertson. He is member of Church off the World (Gospel Outreach), based in California (sources: Inside the League by Jon Lee Anderson, 1986 and Negro spiritual Warfare by Sara Diamond, 1989). His/her brother, Mgr Mario Ríos Montt, is catholic bishop of Guatemala.

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