Generals, genocide and documentary footage

Last Friday, former dictator General Efrain Rios Montt was sentenced to 80 years for genocide and crimes against humanity. This is an historic verdict: the first time a former head of state was convicted in his own country for such crimes. It also has potential implications for the current president:

"There is serious evidence that the current president, the former military commander Otto Pérez Molina, who took office in January 2012, may have been involved in the same mass killings for which General Ríos Montt has now been convicted." - NY Times

There are many layers to this tale, from the CIA's involvement in the coup that overthrew the president in 1954 to documentary footage shot in the early '80´s by an American filmmaker which was later used as evidence in the trial.

Before we came to Guatemala, many people recommended the film When the Mountains Tremble as a valuable introduction to the years of civil war that scarred this country. (We got it on Netflix and watched, and got nervous about our trip...).

The "sequel," a documentary called Granito, tells the story of  how out takes from the 1983 documentary provided key evidence for bringing the indictment. The filmmaker literally went digging through old footage from decades before and uncovered key interviews and other evidence that built the case for genocide.

It is available to view in its entirety until May 25 on PBS.org. It is fascinating how footage from decades before has come back to haunt the present day. Anyone interested in film production will especially appreciate this. I hope you will all make time to watch.

Watch Granito: How to Nail a Dictator - Trailer on PBS.

Watch Granito: How to Nail a Dictator in full until May 25 on PBS.

Dig further into the drama with this read: 

Bitter Fruit: The Story of the American Coup in Guatemala. 

'"Bitter Fruit" is a comprehensive and insightful account of the CIA operation to overthrow the democratically elected government of Jacobo Arbenz of Guatemala in 1954. First published in 1982, this book has become a classic, a textbook case of the relationship between the United States and the Third World. The authors make extensive use of U.S. government documents and interviews with former CIA and other officials. It is a warning of what happens when the United States abuses its power." - Goodreads.com