A Guatemalan appeals court disobeyed a ruling from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights by ordering the release of three former high-ranking military officers convicted of crimes against humanity.
In March, the regional human rights court halted the release of the prisoners “to prevent irreparable damage to the right of access to justice for the victims.”
The military officials winning out from the appeals court decision are Francisco Luis Gordillo Martinez, Manuel Antonio Callejas y Callejas, and Manuel Benedicto Lucas García.
In 2018, the men were sentenced to between 33 and 58 years in prison for crimes against humanity, the forced disappearance of a 14-year-old boy, and the rape of his sister.
Despite Friday’s decision, the men still have not been released from prison because they are awaiting rulings in two other trials against them for crimes of genocide and forced disappearance.
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