Swiss convict Guatemala top cop

Reading out the verdict in a Geneva courtroom, chief Judge Isabelle Cuendet said on Friday that Sperisen, 43, was "jointly responsible" for six murders and was "directly responsible" for one.

In September of 2006, Sperisen (pictured above) led a massive security operation to regain control of the Pavon prison farm, located outside of the Central American nation's capital, Guatemala City. A decade earlier, the authorities had turned over control of Pavon to the inmates, who used the prison to traffic drugs and engage in other illegal activities.

Seven inmates were summarily executed during Sperisen's operation. According to the Swiss court, the former police chief personally shot dead one of the victims. Judge Cuendet called Sperisen's motives "egotistical and particularly disgusting," saying that he "showed a total lack of scruples."

One of Sperisen's lawyers said the former police chief would appeal the ruling.

'Universal justice'

In 2007, Sperisen fled to Switzerland, where he holds dual citizenship through his paternal grandfather. But in Switzerland, citizens can be prosecuted for crimes that they commit abroad. The mother of one of the victims filed charges against Sperisen in a Swiss court.

Claudia Samayoa, director of Guatemala's Human Rights Defense Unit, called Friday's ruling "a great achievement for universal justice."

"They are sending the message that no citizen can hide behind his or her dual nationality," Samayoa said.

slk/jm (AP, AFP)