by the El Reportero’s news services
Efraín Ríos MonttUNITED NATIONS – The United Nations extolled today the opening tomorrow of a trial for genocide in Guatemala against ex president Efraín Ríos Montt and ex intelligence chief José Rodríguez, both ex generals.
In this regard, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, urged Guatemalan authorities to protect from intimidation and reprisal the judges, attorneys, lawyers and others involved in the trial.
In a statement from Geneva, Pillay considered this is a historic trial for genocide and crimes against humanity that must bring the “long awaited justice for thousands of victims” of the 36 year-long armed conflict in Guatemala.
She also welcomed the decision by the Constitutional Court of Guatemala to deny an appeal on the grounds of unconstitutionality filed by the defendants’ defense team because genocide and crimes against humanity “must never be covered by amnesties.”
This is the first time ever in the world that a former head of State is tried for genocide by a national court, said Pillay as she highlighted the importance that the trial is in Guatemala and 30 years after the events happened.
The principles of independence of justice imply that the judges must be protected from wrongful influences, incentives, threats or interferences to secure full impartiality, transparency and due process, she insisted. The two defendants are considered as the alleged masterminds of the killing of 1,771 native people from the Mayan Ixil ethnic group, mostly elderly people and children, in 1982-1983.
Argentina asks Pope Francis to m,editate on Falk lands
ROME – The president of Argentina, Cristina Fernandez on Monday called to meditation of the Pope Francis to open a dialogue between his country and the United Kingdom on the conflict over the Falkland Islands.
I have asked his intervention to achieve a dialogue between the parties, told the president toreporters after holding a private audience with the new Pope, who until last week was the Archbishop of Buenos Aires. At a press conference, Fernandez recalled a similar conflict between Chile and Argentina over the Beagle channel, for which the parties had the intervention of Pope John Paul II.
Mexico and Brazil agree visa exemption
MEXICO- The governments of Mexico and Brazil will mutually suspend short duration visas in ordinary passports for their citizens, reported the Foreign Ministry (SRE).
This decision is a result of agreements reached in a meeting between Presidents Enrique Pena Nieto and Dilma Rousseff during the Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).
The Mexican president expressed his government’s interest in giving priority to links with Latin America, and steps in that direction included meetings held with counterparts during the CELAC summit held in Santiago de Chile on January.
Panama and Costa Rica Approve Relaxed Border Crossing
The Governments of Panama and Costa Rica have signed an agreement allowing free crossing of their borders by citizens from both countries, the national Executive confirmed today in a press release published at its official website.
According to the source, the agreement was signed during the opening ceremony of the International David Fair, where in the presence of President Ricardo Martinelli, his Costa Rican counterpart Laura Chinchilla presented and passed on to the relevant Panamanian authorities the document that establishes the possibility of moving from one country to the other without use of a passport.
Martinelli and Chinchilla opened the 58th David Fair yesterday, where the president of Costa Rica spoke and gave the Governor of Chiquiri, Aixa Santamaria, the new document that Costa Rican and Panamanian citizens will be able to use.
This step shows that both nations enjoy a strong relationship based on mutual trust, in addition to a shared demilitarized border, said Chinchilla.
Martinelli said that the relations between both governments are solid and they would keep taking important steps in the interest of the two nations. He also said the establishment of an identity card to enter both countries is a significant step forward.
