GUATEMALA: PEREZ MOLINA REMAINS SILENT AFTER BEING IMPLICATED IN THE GENOCIDE TRIAL
Guatemala’s president, Otto Perez Molina, has decided to remain silent after being involved in the trial of U.S.-backed ex-dictator Efrain Rios Montt and his former Chief of Intelligence, Jose Rodriguez, for genocide and crimes against humanity. The trial began March 9 and continues in Guatemala. On April 4, a former soldier identified as Hugo Reyes, who served as a mechanic in the engineering brigade in Nebaj (in the north), tied Molina to the atrocities and killings of the Ixil Indigenous people in the ‘80s. “I am not going to comment on this, this is a circus,” the President responded. Reyes, who testified through a video link, described horrifying detail how men operated under the orders of Perez Molina. One of the prosecuting attorneys asked Reyez if he had put his life in danger because of his accusation and he responded that without a doubt, yes.
VENEZUELA: ELECTION CAMPAIGNS BEGIN
The campaign for the Venezuelan presidential elections of April 14 is underway. On April 3, socialist candidate Nicolas Maduro visited two Andean states with the promise of supporting the Plan de la Patria (Plan for the Homeland), and continuing the legacy of the late Hugo Chavez. Meanwhile, the opposition candidate from the rightwing Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD), Henrique Capriles Radonski, visited the state of Barinas, birthplace of Hugo Chavez. At least 18 million citizens are expected to vote for a president whose term will last from 2013 until 2019. According to official authorities, some 150 international observers, among them ex-presidents, politicians and celebrities, will assist with elections.