A Skylight Production
The DICTATOR IN THE DOCK series brings viewers into the courtroom as former dictator General Efraín Ríos Montt stands trial for genocide and crimes against humanity. This historic case marked the first time, anywhere in the world, that a former head of state was tried for genocide in a national court, in the country where the crimes were committed. Also, for the first time in the history of South or North America, the genocide of indigenous peoples was tried in a court of law, significantly in a country of the Americas with a majority indigenous population. As Francisco Soto, legal representative of the Maya plaintiffs, said in his concluding statement at the trial, “Justice is poised to play an important role in the historical memory of our country. For the first time in 500 years we are able to judge genocide.” The symbolic and precedent setting nature of this trial for all indigenous peoples and all national justice systems cannot be overestimated. Skylight filmed the entire genocide trial of Ríos Montt from the day it started on March 19, 2013 to its conclusion on May 10, 2013, capturing the high stakes drama of a reckoning with heinous crimes, an unveiling of impunity, and a nation’s attempt to reconcile with the past.
Skylight filmó el juicio por genocidio de los generales Efraín Ríos Montt y José Mauricio Rodríguez Sánchez, desde su comienzo el 19 de marzo 2013 hasta su conclusión el 10 de mayo 2013. La serie DICTADOR EN EL BANQUILLO consiste de 23 capítulos, los cuales te llevan adentro de la sala de justicia para iluminar momentos culminantes de este juicio histórico. Este juicio marca la primera vez en el mundo que un ex-jefe de estado enfrenta cargos por genocidio en un tribunal nacional. Este juicio fue un hito importante en el largo proceso de exigir que los líderes políticos y militares rindan cuentas por crímenes inimaginables. La resolución del juicio, con su veredicto e imposición de la pena, afirman el genocidio y los crímenes de lesa humanidad contra las poblaciones indígenas de Guatemala.
