Guatemala's Congress votes to deny genocide of Mayan people

Wednesday, May 14, 2014  

Guatemala's Congress passed a non-binding resolution on Tuesday that denies the existence of genocide against the Maya people.

More than 200,000 people, mostly Mayans, were killed or went missing during Guatemala's civil war. But the resolution claims it was "legally impossible" that genocide occurred, the Associated Press reported.

Efrain Rios Montt, a former dictator of Guatemala, was convicted of genocide for ordering massacres of two Maya villages. But the nation's highest court overturned the verdict and ordered a new trial.

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Guatemala's congress approves resolution denying genocide occurred during 36-year civil war (AP 5/14)

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