The Genocide Trial and the Tightrope

<p>If the 2013 genocide conviction of Guatemalan ex-dictator Efraín Ríos Montt gave an opportunity to shake off the chains of the past, then its annulment was a fist slammed on the table, announcing the return of the old order — one where terrified judges, secret negotiations, and networks of patronage keep the judiciary shackled to special interests and entrenched traditions.</p>