Héctor Mario López Fuentes

Who is Héctor Mario López Fuentes?

Héctor Mario López Fuentes is a retired Guatemalan general. He served as Army Chief of Staff until his replacement in 1983 by Rodolfo Lobos Zamora. In July 2011, he was arrested on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity for his links to the killings of more than 300 Mayan civilians in the Ixil region during the administration of President Efrain Rios Montt. At the time, he was suffering from terminal cancer, and a hearing originally scheduled for October 2011 had to be delayed due to his condition. In May 2012, López was brought before Judge Miguel Ángel Gálvez of Tribunal B de Mayor Riesgo to face the charges. Gálvez rejected a motion by López' lawyer Moses Galindo to close the tribunal on the grounds of López Fuentes' poor health.