Some information on the Guatemalan Republican Front (FRG) and General Efraín Ríos Montt can be found in GTM20928.E of 28 July 1995, GTM21419.E of 30 August 1995 and GTM20044.F of 21 March 1995. Information the December 1994 killing of FRG official Rudy Reyes can be found in GTM29353.E of 14 May 1998.

During the November 1995 elections, the FRG obtained 21 of 80 seats in Guatemala's National Congress, ranking second after the National Advancement Party (Partido de Avanzada Nacional, PAN) (The Europa World Year Book 1998 1998, 1551). The FRG's presidential candidate, Alfonso Portillo, received almost 49 per cent of the vote during the second round of voting on 7 January 1996 (ibid., The Dallas Morning News 14 Jan. 1996). Furthermore, the FRG ranked first in 18 or 19 of the 22 country's departments (ibid.; CAR 12 Jan. 1996, 1).

Reuters states that Portillo received two written death threats soon after loosing the presidential elections (12 Jan. 1996). Similarly, Ríos Montt had a explosion go off at his residence in June 1995 at the same time he made a public announcement that he would protest if he was prohibited to run as president in the November 1995 elections (Televisiete Television 8 June 1995). According to The Dallas Morning News, Portillo was the "handpicked surrogate" of FRG leader Efraín Ríos Montt (14 Jan. 1996). Ríos Montt was prohibited by the Guatemalan constitution from running as president because of his leading role in the 1982 military coup and for the subsequent killings of thousands of indigenous peoples under the "scorched-earth" campaign (The Guardian 6 Jan. 1996; The Washington Post 8 Jan. 1996). In October 1997, the FRG was attempting once again to reform article 186 of the constitution which prevents Ríos Montt from presenting himself as a presidential candidate (CAR 16 Oct. 1997, 7).

According to The Economist, Ríos Montt denied any involvement in a massacre of hundreds of peasants soon after he instigated a military coup in 1982 (28 June 1997). In March 1998, CAR reported that 165 Guatemalan judicial cases had been referred to the Inter-American Human Rights Commission in Washington because of inefficiencies in the Guatemalan judicial system, including a case against Ríos Montt for his participation in the massacre at Dos Erres, in the northern department of the Petén (26 Mar. 1998, 5). Under his administration, the army is believed to have carried out the massacre in December 1982 (ibid.).

Several sources reported that Mario Ríos Montt, General Efraín Ríos Montt's brother replaced slain Bishop Juan José Gerardi as the new head of the Archdiocesan Office on Human Rights (ODHA) (AP 26 May 1998; The Dallas Morning News 30 July 1998; Guatemalan Human Rights Update 29 May 1998). Gerardi was killed two days after releasing a report accusing the Armed Forces of most of the murders during the country's 36-year civil war in the country (AP 26 May 1998; The Dallas Morning News 30 July 1998).

During the FRG's assembly in July 1998, Ríos Montt was elected as secretary general of the party for a third consecutive term (Prensa Libre 20 July 1998).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

The Associated Press (AP). 26 May 1998. Alfonso Anzueto. "Brother of Former Guatemala Dictator Heads Human Rights Office." (NEXIS)

Central America Report (CAR) (Guatemala City(. 26 March 1998. Vol. 25, No. 12. "State Is Tried for Past Crimes."

_____. 16 October 1997. Vol. 24, No. 40. "Parties Move Toward 1999."

_____. 12 January 1996. Vol. 23, No. 1. "Arzú Wins Presidency."

The Dallas Morning News. 30 July 1998. Ken Guggenheim. "Appointment Stirs Little Concern: Guatemala Bishop in Human Rights Post Is Ex-Dictator's Brother." (Central America NewsPak (Austin(, 20 July-2 Aug. 1998, Vol. 13, No. 13, p. 8)

_____. 14 January 1996. Larry Rohter. "Election Success of Ex-Dictator's Party Puzzles, Worries Some in Guatemala; Narrow Vote May Signal a Threat to Democracy." (NEXIS)

The Economist [London]. 28 June 1997. "Guatemala: The Peace Police." (NEXIS)

The Europa World Year Book 1998. 1998. 39th ed. Vol. 1. London: Europa Publications.

The Guardian [London]. 6 January 1996. Phil Gunson. "Guatemala's Old Scourge Returns." (NEXIS)

Guatemala Human Rights Update [Washington]. 29 May 1998. "Monsignor Rios Montt to Replace Gerardi."

Prensa Libre [Guatemala City]. 20 July 1998. "FRG Reelects Rios Montt as Secretary General." (FBIS-LAT-98-201/WNC)

Reuters. 12 January 1996. "Guatemalan Election Loser Receives Death Threats." (NEXIS)

Televisiete Television [Guatemala City]. 8 June 1995. "Bomb Explodes at Rios Montt's Residence." (FBIS-LAT-95-111/WNC)

The Washington Post. 8 January 1996. John Ward Anderson. "Guatemalans Pick a President; Voting Extends Democratic Process Yet Harks Back to Army Rule." (NEXIS)