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Efrain Rios Montt, a former Guatemalan dictator who lead the country from 1982 to 1983, has died aged 91 according to a statement from his Lawyer Jaime Hernandez.
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Ríos Montt came to public office through a coup d'état on March 23, 1982, and presided over one of the bloodiest periods of Guatemala's civil war as soldiers waged a brutal war to root out Marxist guerrillas.
Rios Montt was convicted in 2013 of genocide and crimes against humanity for the massacre of 1,771 indigenous Ixil Mayans by security forces under his command. The ruling was, however, set aside, and a new trial ordered, to the great dismay of human rights activists and victims who long sought to see him punished for atrocities during his 17-month regime.
He is survived by his daughter Zury Rios.
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