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BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaGuatemala ex-general on trial accused of genocidePublished1 hour agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Benedicto Lucas Garcia followed proceedings via video linkBy Leonardo Rocha & Ido VockBBC NewsA former general accused of ordering the murder of more than 1,200 indigenous Ixil Maya people during Guatemala’s civil war has gone on trial.Benedicto Lucas Garcia, 91, has been indicted for genocide, crimes against humanity – including widespread rape – and forced disappearances. Survivors from one village say Garcia’s troops killed children, babies and the elderly. He denies the charges. The alleged crimes occurred between 1978 and 1982, when Garcia’s brother Fernando Romeo Lucas Garcia was president of Guatemala. Benedicto Lucas Garcia is accused of planning and executing over 30 massacres in the western region of Quiche. Lawyer Nery Rodenas, director of the Human Rights Office of the Archbishopric of Guatemala, told the AFP news agency that survivors had waited “more than 40 years” for justice. Ex-general Garcia followed proceedings by video link from a military hospital, where he is already serving a prior sentence for forced disappearance, rape and torture. One co-defendant died in 2020, while another was found unfit to stand trial and will face separate proceedings. Many Ixil Maya people were targeted by the military, accused of providing support to Marxist rebels.Some 200,000 people died in the conflict, which lasted almost 40 years. Most were ethnic Maya. Guatemala’s Supreme Court of Justice ruled in 2018 that acts of genocide had been committed against the Ixil people. But only a small number of low-ranking soldiers have been convicted of war crimes.Related TopicsGuatemalaMore on this storyReuniting families with the remains of the disappearedPublished23 May 2021Was there genocide in Guatemala?Published24 May 2013Top StoriesIsrael urged to publish full report on aid team deathsPublished4 hours agoSix months on, how close is Israel to eliminating Hamas?Published5 hours agoWatch: Moment New York landmarks shaken by earthquake. VideoWatch: Moment New York landmarks shaken by earthquakePublished11 hours agoFeaturesStorm Kath ‘fury’ and stats staff ‘strike for WFH’Inside IDF’s detailed briefing on aid convoy attackWhere does Israel get its weapons?New Yorkers mostly unshaken by rare earthquakeTracking the world’s biggest iceberg as it drifts towards oblivionPrince Andrew’s infamous BBC interview… as dramatised by NetflixKacey Musgraves: ‘The tortured musician cliché is a farce’My return home – 30 years after Rwanda’s genocideThe world’s eclipse chasers arrive in North AmericaElsewhere on the BBCIt’s make or break timeAnother set of eager entrepreneurs hope to impress the fearsome panelAttributioniPlayerBruce Lee as you’ve never seen him beforeTen defining pictures throw a unique lens onto an extraordinary lifeAttributioniPlayerAmbition, money and deceptionThe scandalous true story of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos, starring Amanda SeyfriedAttributioniPlayerFrom Starman to film star…How did the silver screen inspire David Bowie?AttributioniPlayerMost Read1Driver gets 11 years for death of twerking couple2Storm Kath ‘fury’ and stats staff ‘strike for WFH’3Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher file for divorce4Ibiza locals living in cars as party island sees rents soar5I reported explicit messages to police, says MP6Six months on, how close is Israel to eliminating Hamas?7Where in the UK can you see Monday’s solar eclipse?8Taylor Swift superfans caught in £250 ticket scam9Lionesses held by Sweden in Euro 2025 qualifierAttributionSport10Great-grandad, 111, is world’s oldest living man