Efrain Andrés Montt ruled Guatemala from 1979 to 1983 . Prosecutors argued that Rios Montt was aware of the repressive strategies that the military was using against anyone suspected of being a guerrilla , such as killings , forced disappearances and kidnappings . He and another defendant are on trial , accused of genocide and crimes against humanity . His defense has argued that he never explicitly ordered the killings of an indigenous group . A judge has thrown out two weeks of testimony in his trial , citing procedural grounds .
Efrain Andrés Montt ruled Guatemala from 1979 to 1983 . He and another defendant are on trial , accused of genocide and crimes against humanity . His defense has argued that he never explicitly ordered the killings of an indigenous group . A judge has thrown out two weeks of testimony in his trial , citing procedural grounds .