Unofficial translation by the Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA). You can find the original statement in Spanish further below.

STATEMENT

WE CONDEMN THE DELAYS OF THE START OF THE GENOCIDE TRIAL. THE VICTIMS DEMAND JUSTICE

The families of the victims and survivors of the genocide, committed by state forces during the internal armed conflict in Guatemala, declare:

Today, April 27, 2026, was the scheduled start of Initial Hearing of the Oral and Public Argument in the genocide case against the retired general Luis Enrique Mendoza García, accused of Genocide and Human Rights Violations enacted against the Maya Ixil people. Mendoza García served as Director of Operations S-3 of the General Staff of the Army from March 1982 to June 1983 and joined the General Staff of the Army during the de-facto government of Efraín Ríos Montt, who was charged with genocide in 2013. However, once again, the trial was suspended for the third time.

The victims of the incidents brought to light through this case declare our rejection of the latest suspension of the start of the trial, seeing as this represents a serious setback for justice in cases where those on trial are retired members of the military accused of crimes like forced disappearance, genocide, sexual violence, and human rights violations.

We demand of the Guatemalan justice system due process, and access to the swift fulfillment of justice. Delay in the application of justice perpetuates impunity, and violates the rights of victim’s families, who have sought for more than forty years that the responsible parties pay for these serious incidents.

We demand that the Guatemalan state fulfills its obligation to guarantee the Right to Memory, Truth, and Justice for the victims and survivors of the internal armed conflict in Guatemala.

YES, THERE WAS GENOCIDE AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE

JUSTICE FOR GENOCIDE

#síhubogenocidio

Association for Justice and Reconciliation, AJR

Center for Legal Action in Human Rights, CALDH

Guatemala, April 27, 2026

En Español: