On Tuesday, a California federal jury found Jorge Sosa guilty of making false statements and obtaining citizenship unlawfully. Sosa was one of the commanders on the ground during the December 1982 massacre at Dos Erres. He had been accused of lying when he sought residency and citizenship in the United States. Sosa's sentencing date is December 9th. At the point, the former second lieutenant in the Guatemalan army will learn his punishment - up to fifteen years in prison and/or the loss of his U.S. citizenship.
Totally not the most important part of the story, but according to this AP article, "Sosa listened to the verdict through a Spanish interpreter and appeared to take notes, as he did for much of the trial, without visible reaction." Sosa worked as a martial arts teacher and has lived in the US and Canada for the last thirty years. Did he really need a Spanish interpreter or was his use of the interpreter somehow designed to make him more sympathetic to the jury?
I wrote something longer for Al Jazeera prior to the verdict. Hopefully, it'll be up soon. I'm still not happy with the press coverage.
And I've had these links to interviews with various Guatemalan officials sitting around as a draft post. Now might as be as good a time as any to get them up.The first is an interview with Juan Francisco Soto. He is the director of the Center for Human Rights Legal Action (CALDH) and was one of the parties that joined the genocide case against Efrain Rios Montt. The second interview is one that La Jornada carried out with Judge Iris Yassmín Barrios. Judge Barrios presided over the Rios Montt trial. Here's the English translation.
Someone should write a book on the recent history of Guatemala using Judge Barrios as its focus. She has been involved not only in the Rios Montt trial, but those of Bishop Gerardi, Myrna Mack, Salvadoran PARLACEN representatives, the Sacatepéquez girls, the Dos Erres massacre in Petén, and several drug trafficking cases including the Zetas.
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