It is based on “major suspicions” about Sperisen’s involvement in various killings as head of national police in Guatemala from July 2004 to March 2007, the prosecutor’s office said in a statement. Because of Sperisen’s Swiss nationality, the prosecutor’s office said, he is not subject to extradition and will face criminal proceedings in Geneva.
Several Geneva-based human rights advocacy groups filed two criminal complaints against Sperisen, in 2008 and 2009, urging further investigation.
TRIAL, a Geneva-based group, said in a statement Friday that it welcomed the arrest and hopes Sperisen will face trial on charges over his alleged involvement in extrajudicial killings and other abuses including the killing of nine farmers. The group said that as police chief he also is accused of involvement in enforced disappearances, torture and sexual violence.Portillo might be coming to a jail near you as long as violent felons aren't housed there. Sperisen might soon see the inside of a courtroom and, eventually, a cell. And General Efraín Ríos Montt is one step closer to a guilty verdict after a Guatemalan appeals court rejected his argument that he can not be tried for his involvement in the Dos Erres massacre because he is covered under the country's National Reconciliation Law.
Talk about a global effort.
