"I will not rest until I see you behind bars."

Guatemala's former dictator Efraín Ríos Montt battles genocide charges
86-year-old denies he was complicit in rape, torture and murder of
indigenous civilians by troops during his rule in 1980s
The former Guatemalan dictator Efraín Ríos Montt has made a last-gasp
effort to assert his innocence as judges prepared to rule on the
charges of genocide and crimes against humanity that he faces.

Breaking the silence he has maintained until now in the historic case,
the 86-year-old used his closing statement on Thursday to deny claims
that he was responsible for the deaths of at least 1,771 Mayan Ixils.

Prosecutors have alleged that, as head of state and the military for
17 months from 1982, Ríos Montt was complicit in the rape, torture and
murder of indigenous civilians carried out by his troops during a
counter-insurgency campaign in the heartlands of the leftist guerrilla
movement.

In an hour-long rebuttal, the elderly defendant blamed his field
commanders, who he said acted autonomously.

"I never authorised, I never signed, I never proposed, I never ordered
an attack against any race, against any ethnic group," he told the
court. "I never did it, and of everything that has been said here,
there has never been any evidence of my participation."

Ríos Montt's intervention provided a dramatic finale to a fraught,
month-long court case that has rekindled painful memories of one of
Latin America's bloodiest civil wars.

An estimated 200,000 people died during the 36-year conflict, while
45,000 others "disappeared". The targeting of the Mayan population –
in an attempt to undermine support for the insurgents – was one of the
grimmest episodes of the battle for control of the country that
finally ended in 1996 with a peace accord.

The prosecutor Orlando López wrapped up the case against Ríos Montt by
summarising the testimonies of almost 100 witnesses: 94 had lost a
family member, 83 had suffered arson attacks, 16 were sexually
assaulted and seven were tortured. He said forensic experts had
examined mass graves that showed many victims, including children,
were killed in assassination-style shootings.

Having presented detailed plans of the chain of command and testimony
from former officers, López said Ríos Montt must have had full
knowledge of the army operations. He demanded 75 years in prison for
the former dictator and his co-defendant, the former intelligence
chief José Mauricio Rodríguez Sánchez.

Both defendants deny the charges.

Ríos Montt, who took and lost power as a result of coups, said the
Guatemala he inherited was a failing, bankrupt nation that was full of
"subversive guerrillas". But he insisted that he never ordered
genocide.

Since hearings opened last month, the case has become increasingly
heated. Earlier this week, the defence lawyer García Gudiel reportedly
challenged the authority of the three civilian judges and warned them:
"I will not rest until I see you behind bars."

A verdict and sentence are expected shortly.