Guatemala City Judge Issued An Arrest Warrant To Former Guerrilla Leader In Connection To The 1980 Bomb Attack

The former leftist guerrilla leader Gustavo Meoño was blamed for the 1980 explosion that killed several Maya tribes which led the Guatemala City Judge is seeking his arrest.

Guatemala City Judge Issued An Arrest Warrant To Former Guerrilla Leader In Connection To The 1980 Bomb Attack (PHOTO: The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Guatemala Seeks Arrest Of Former Guerrilla Leader

The rebels of the Guerrilla Army of the Poor were blamed for the 1980 explosion that occurred in Guatemala City’s main plaza that killed several people.  The bombing happens during the country’s 1960-1996 civil war between the army and leftist rebels in which over 200,000 people died on that event, most at the hands of the military.

Hence, the Guatemala City Judge issued an arrest warrant Wednesday for Gustavo Meoño, because he was the leader of the Army of the Poor at the time of the attack.

Moreover, ABC News reported that Meoño later then headed to head the National Police Historic Archive, a collection of millions of documents found in a warehouse in 2005 that documented rights abuses during the conflict.

Meoño had not received charges before due to the case was based on a complaint filed by citizens in 2017. But as of now, Meoño faces homicide and other charges in the case.

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The History Of The Guatemala 1980 Bombing

The Guatemalan civil war started in 1960 and lasted until 1996. The conflict was between the government of Guatemala City and various leftist rebel groups headed by  Gustavo Meoño because the government forces have been condemned for committing a bloodbath against the Maya population of Guatemala.

The Center of Justice & Accountability stated that the UN-sponsored Historical Clarification Commission recognized the victims during the civil war, at that time around 200,000 Guatemalans died or they are forcibly disappeared from Guatemalans. It was also stated that 83 percent were indigenous Maya people and these human rights violators were committed by government forces in 93 percent of the cases.

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