Hi there,

Immigration raids are spreading across the country. The agencies meant to protect public health are being dismantled from within. Public broadcasting is being defunded... Today, Democracy Now!'s independent reporting is more important than ever. Because we never accept corporate or government funding, we rely on viewers, listeners and readers like you to sustain our work. Can you start a monthly donation? Monthly donors represent more than 20 percent of our annual revenue. Every dollar makes a difference. Thank you so much.

Democracy Now!
Amy Goodman

Non-commercial news needs your support.

We rely on contributions from you, our viewers and listeners to do our work. If you visit us daily or weekly or even just once a month, now is a great time to make your monthly contribution.

Please do your part today.

Donate

Guatemalan Court OKs Ex-Dictator’s Presidential Bid

HeadlineJul 31, 2003

Guatemala’s highest court has ruled that former dictator Efrain Rios Montt can run for president in November despite a constitutional ban on former coup leaders running for the presidency.

The court ruled the law could not be applied retroactively. Montt seized power in 1982 in a military coup. He has been accused of genocide. An estimated 17,000 political opponents and dissidents were murdered under his rule.

Last week his supporters rioted in the capital city donning ski masks, machetes and hand guns. Mott had warned of more violence if he were not allowed to run.

The original content of this program is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Please attribute legal copies of this work to democracynow.org. Some of the work(s) that this program incorporates, however, may be separately licensed. For further information or additional permissions, contact us.

Non-commercial news needs your support

We rely on contributions from our viewers and listeners to do our work.
Please do your part today.
Make a donation
Top