A total of 14 former military officials were arrested in Guatemala on Wednesday after they were charged with participating in the forced disappearances and killings during the civil war that ravaged the country a couple of decades ago. Many of the charges filed against the ex-officers stem from the human rights violations that occurred during the height of the conflict.
As reported by Vice News, the Guatemalan Civil War began during the 1960s after civilians, who were mainly ethnic Mayan and Ladino groups, formed a massive leftist movement against the government. The administration then responded by carrying our various military campaigns against the rebels.
The widespread conflicted only ended in 1996 after a peace treaty was signed by the two parties. However, according to a report released by a truth commission supported by the United Nations, 80 percent of the total number of deaths, which is about 245,000, during the civil war were caused by military personnel, according to The Guardian.
Through the ongoing investigations regarding the matter, the Guatemalan government was able to identify the military leaders who may have been involved in the fatal operations against civilians and members of the rebel group during the civil war.
According to Attorney General Thelma Aldana, many of the cases linked to the arrested individuals occurred during the height of the nationwide conflict.
"The detainees are alleged to have participated in 88 events related to massacres carried out between 1981 and 1986 in the context of internal armed conflict in Guatemala," she said during a press briefing. "It is one of the biggest cases of forced disappearances in Latin America."
The suspects arrested earlier this week include Manuel Benedicto Lucas Garcia, a former general and brother of Fernando Romeo Lucas Garcia, the tyrannical president who ruled the country from 1978 to 1982. Francisco Luis Gordillo, the military colonel who helped stage a coup against Lucas Garcia in 1982 was also arrested. Former general Jose Efrain Rios Montt, the dictator who replaced Lucas Garcia, was also apprehended for his involvement in the killings and other violations.
Aldana noted that one of the major incidents linked to the detainees is the massacre at Plan de Sanchez, Baja Verapaz department in 1982. During this incident, soldiers and paramilitary forces carried out various heinous crimes including murder, torture and sexual abuse against civilians, The Washington Post reported.
