Guatemalan Wanted Since 1982 Caught in Belize

A fugitive from Guatemalan justice has been picked up by Belizean authorities. But this is no ordinary wanted man. Afonso Bulux Vicente is being sought for his role in the December 1982 massacre at Dos Erres. During that horrific event, over two hundred and fifty villagers were slaughtered; beginning with the children, as soldiers looked for several men they believed had killed some of their colleagues. Many of the bodies were later uncovered in a mass grave. Sources tell News Five that the sixty-eight-year-old Bulux Vicente is alleged to have been part of the Kaibiles lead by a former Guatemalan army leader. Bulux Vicente came to the attention of Belizean authorities when he began applying for permanent residency in August. A background search on Interpol initially came up negative, but then he was flagged by Guatemalan law enforcement counterparts as being wanted for murder in that country. He was detained in Dangriga but during questioning claimed he was trying to help Dos Erres villagers flee and denied being involved in the killings. An article in Propublica, however, says prior testimony by others involved in the massacre places Bulux Vicente with a group of commandos who interrogated villagers, hitting them with a sledgehammer and then dumping their bodies into a town well. He is currently being detained in Belmopan pending an order of expulsion. According to that article, over the last year, Guatemalan courts have last year convicted five army soldiers for related human rights violations and civil war crimes. In California, US authorities handed over Jose Ortiz Morales to Guatemalan law enforcement in May, after he was picked up on immigration offenses. Prosecutors in Guatemala have been looking for seven others, including Bulux Vicente.