Guatemalans Rally in Favor of Ex-Dictator

Violent protests in support of former dictator Efrain Rios Montt engulfed much of Guatemala’s capital on Thursday, causing President Alfonso Portillo to call out the army to restore order.

But the more than 5,000 demonstrators -- many wielding machetes and clubs -- ran unchecked, with police staying back to prevent more violence and the military apparently not heeding the president’s call for troops. The U.S. Embassy, surrounded by protesters, closed as a precaution.

After almost six hours of chaos, most demonstrators disbanded, but a group of several hundred remained at the city’s civic plaza, the site of Guatemala’s top courts. They were protesting a court ruling temporarily blocking Rios Montt from registering to run for president.

Demonstrators smashed windows, burned parked cars and blocked traffic along the main streets through the capital.

Television reporter Hector Ramirez collapsed and died while fleeing a mob that was chasing reporters covering the start of the demonstration. Coroners said the 65-year-old had suffered a heart attack.

“I will not permit any political movement to disrupt public order,” Portillo, a political ally of Rios Montt, said in a television address during which he ordered hundreds of soldiers onto the streets. But the troops never showed up.

Thousands of Rios Montt supporters arrived from outside the capital aboard more than 50 buses.

“From now on, we will not rest until the general is allowed to run for president,” said a protester who refused to give his name.

Human rights groups say Rios Montt’s military government was responsible for some of the worst atrocities during Guatemala’s 1961-96 civil war.

A Supreme Court injunction temporarily blocked him from registering as a candidate for the Nov. 9 presidential election after the country’s highest tribunal, the Constitutional Court, ruled that he could run.

Rios Montt, 77, took power in a military uprising in March 1982 and was overthrown 17 months later. He founded the Guatemalan Republican Front, which controls the presidency. He is head of the single-house legislature.

Rios Montt’s attempts to run for president in 1990 and 1995 were barred by the high court on grounds that Guatemala’s constitution prohibits former coup leaders from seeking the presidency. His supporters argue that the law is invalid because it is part of a constitution that took effect after Rios Montt took power.