Guatemala’s highest court blocks proposed amnesty law

GUATEMALA CITY – Guatemala’s highest court has ruled against a legislative proposal to grant amnesty for human rights abuses during the country’s 1960-1996 civil war.

The bill had failed to gain final approval in Congress, but was not completely dead.

The constitutional Court voted Friday to grant a provisional injunction requested by rights activists against any attempt to change the existing law.

According to international studies, the vast majority of the rights abuses were committed by the army. Some 200,000 people were killed in the conflict and 45,000 disappeared.