News Release Download

Sperisen case: trial soon to start

11.04.2014 ( Last modified: 12.07.2017 )

Today, the Geneva judicial authorities have announced the date of Erwin Sperisen’s trial. The former police chief of Guatemala is accused of the murder of ten persons. He will be tried by Geneva Criminal Court from as of May 15th. This trial marks a significant stage in the fight against impunity.

It represents the final chapter in a long and difficult struggle on the part of the NGOs to bring justice to the victims’ families.

Erwin Sperisen is the former head of the PNC, the National Civil Police of Guatemala. About six years ago, a coalition of NGOs brought a legal case against him for atrocities committed between 2004 and 2007. These included extrajudicial killings, torture, enforced disappearances and sexual violence. The coalition of NGOs that brought the case subsequently campaigned for the Geneva judicial authorities to conduct an enquiry against the Swiss-Guatemalan dual national residing in Geneva. On 31 August 2012, Erwin Sperisen was finally arrested on the orders of the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Geneva.

Since then, the defendant has appeared before the Public Prosecutor on 11 occasions. No fewer than 14 witnesses have travelled from France, Guatemala and Spain, and four international legal assistance requests have been sent to Austria, Spain and Guatemala. The enquiry clearly convinced the Public Prosecutor of Erwin Sperisen’s criminal liability, as it was decided in January that the accused would be tried by the Geneva Criminal Court for the murder of ten persons.

The former Guatemalan police chief must now answer for his involvement in :

  • the summary execution – wich was made to look like a confrontation- of seven detainees at Pavón prison in 2006, during an police operation run by Erwin Sperisen and his forces.
  • the summary execution in 2005 of three prisoners who escaped from Infiernitoprison.

For the NGOs, the trial itself already represents a victory against impunity.

Speaking on behalf of the Coalition, Philip Grant, Director of TRIAL, and Gerald Staberock, Director of the OMCT, said ‘The quest for justice pursued by the victims’ families for so many years has not been in vain. This trial shows that there is still hope for the victims of persecution in Guatemala. It also sends a very clear signal to those responsible for such crimes who thought that they were beyond justice.’

Bettina Ryser, General Secretary of ACAT-Suisse, added ‘The Coalition will not play an active role during the trial, but we will be following its progress very closely. We will let the Court do its work, and we have every confidence that Erwin Sperisen will receive a fair and unbiased trial.

Chantal Woodtli and Claude Reymond of CGAS concluded ‘We hope that this trial can finally shed a light on the tragic events of which Erwin Sperisen is accused, and deliver justice to the victims.

Context

In 2008, the first criminal accusations were filed against Erwin Sperisen at the Geneva Public Prosecutor’s Office by three organisations. These were CGAS (Geneva Association for Trade Union Action), ACAT-Suisse (Swiss section of Christian Action for the Abolition of Torture), and the trade union Uniterre. TRIAL and the OMCT filed an additional criminal charge in 2009.

The Coalition initially wanted to bring to light the use of extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, torture and sexual violence by the Guatemalan police between 2004 and 2007. These included the massacres at Infiernito and Pavón prisons as well as the massacre of nine peasants during the eviction from the Nueva Linda farm in 2004, but the judicial authorities considered only the two firsts.

Erwin Sperisen cannot be extradited to Guatemala, as he holds Swiss nationality. Being a resident of the canton of Geneva, the latest has therefore exclusive jurisdiction on the case.

Further information

©2024 trialinternational.org | All rights reserved | Privacy Policy | Statutes | Designed and Produced by ACW