International News

GUATEMALA CITY, (APP/AFP) – A former
soldier imprisoned for killing a Roman Catholic bishop died Monday during a prison riot in Guatemala that also killed at least one other prisoner, authorities said.
Ex-army captain Byron Lima, who was convicted for his role in the
1998 murder of Guatemalan bishop Juan Gerardi, died during a “brawl” among inmates, the interior ministry said.
Emergency workers said six inmates were also transferred to Guatemala
City hospitals to be treated for gunshot wounds.
The bishop had investigated atrocities committed during Guatemala’s
civil war, documenting more than 50,000 human rights violations — most attributed to the army — during the 1960-1996 armed conflict.
Lima was serving a 20-year prison sentence handed down in 2001. Three
others, including his father, a former colonel, were convicted over the
bishop’s murder.
While serving his sentence, Lima was considered one of the most
powerful figures inside Guatemala’s prison system.
In 2014, a judge charged Lima with leading a criminal network that
effectively controlled prison life, including arranging inmate transfers,
conjugal visits and access to phones.