Former dictator of Guatemala ordered to appear before judge

BRIEFS

A prosecutor said former dictator Efrain Rios Montt must appear in criminal court in a genocide case involving crimes against indigenous Guatemalans during his de-facto government.

Federal prosecutor Manuel Vasquez said the retired general must declare on Thursday before a judge, who will decide whether to go forward with genocide charges.

Vasquez confirmed that Rios Montt is a suspect.

Rios Montt ruled Guatemala from 1982 to 1983 and has been accused by survivors and family members of mounting some of the worse massacres of the 1963-96 civil war.

MAGNITUDE 6.2 QUAKE STRIKES MEXICO’S SOUTHERN COAST

A magnitude 6.2 earthquake that hit off the coast of the southern Mexican state of Chiapas over the weekend shook as far away as El Salvador but brought no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

The quake broke windows in the Chiapas state capital of Tuxtla Gutierrez and sent frightened residents into the streets in numerous cities. It was felt from the Mexican state of Veracruz, through Pacific regions of Guatemala and into El Salvador.

PERUVIAN GOVERNMENT BANS TRIPS ABROAD FOR TERROR CONVICTS

Peru’s President Ollanta Humala has signed a law forbidding judges to let people convicted of terrorism-related crimes leave the country while on parole.

The law that took effect Saturday was prompted by controversy over the case of a New York woman, Lori Berenson.