Guatemala police chief gets life in Switzerland, for 10 murders at home

[zwiebel]

Former Guatemala police chief Erwin Sperisen, AKA 'The Viking' (because of his ginger beard) has had his life sentence confirmed in Switzerland, for 10 murders committed in his native country.

Sperisen fled to Geneva ( his grandfather was Swiss and his father is Guatemala's Geneva-based ambassador to the World Trade Organisation) after the crimes and could not be extradited, but the mother of one of his victims brought a lawsuit against him last year, and his Swiss citizenship meant he could be tried there, for crimes committed abroad.

Sperisen was charged over the summary execution and subsequent cover-up of the murder of seven inmates in Guatemala's Pavon jail in September 2006 and for the summary execution of three prisoners who had escaped from the Infiernito jail in 2005.

He shot dead one of the Pavon prisoners himself.

I'm not certain of the length of a Swiss life sentence, or the minimum likely term. I'll try and find out.

http://www.france24.com/en/20150512...aef&aef_campaign_date=2015-05-12&dlvrit=65413

 

[zwiebel]

Photo here, though he's beardless.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-32716691