Former President of Guatamala. Born Fernando Romeo Lucas García in San Juan Chamelco, Alta Verapaz, Guatamala, he was an Army general who was elected President of Guatemala and served from July 1, 1978, to March 23, 1982. His administration was charactized by political repression and assassinations of major opposition figures. During his tenure, peasant, labor and student activists took over the Spanish Embassy in Guatemala City in January 1980 to protest his harsh rule; when police raided the embasssy, the assault left 37 dead. He was evenutally removed from office by a military coup d'état and went into exile in Venezuela. Spain began criminal proceedings against him in 1999 alleging torture and genocide against the Maya population; the Venezuelan supreme court denied the extradition in June 2005 due to insufficient evidence. Cause of death: respiratory failure, while in exile in Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela.
Former President of Guatamala. Born Fernando Romeo Lucas García in San Juan Chamelco, Alta Verapaz, Guatamala, he was an Army general who was elected President of Guatemala and served from July 1, 1978, to March 23, 1982. His administration was charactized by political repression and assassinations of major opposition figures. During his tenure, peasant, labor and student activists took over the Spanish Embassy in Guatemala City in January 1980 to protest his harsh rule; when police raided the embasssy, the assault left 37 dead. He was evenutally removed from office by a military coup d'état and went into exile in Venezuela. Spain began criminal proceedings against him in 1999 alleging torture and genocide against the Maya population; the Venezuelan supreme court denied the extradition in June 2005 due to insufficient evidence. Cause of death: respiratory failure, while in exile in Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela.
Bio by: Fred Beisser
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