Former Guatemala generals to face genocide charges

Two former Guatemala generals will stand trial on genocide charges, Reuters reported.

In a ruling order by Guatemalan judge Miguel Angel Galvez Monday, former generals Manuel Benedicto Lucas and Manuel Antonio Callejas will stand trial for their roles in the country’s civil war. 

Lucas and Callejas are accused of committing genocide, crimes against humanity and forced kidnapping from 1979 to 1982. Their actions led to the deaths of more than 1,700 people in 31 separate massacres, according to Reuters. 

The Guatemalan civil war lasted for 36 years, claiming the lives of more than 200,000 citizens and 45,000 disappearances before the peace agreement was reached in 1996. 

Lucas and Callejas have been under custody at a military medical facility in Guatemala City since 2016. 

Judge Galvez also charged six other military members for the role in the disappearances and deaths of 183 civilians during the war, Reuters noted.