Spanish Court Admits 1989 Jesuit Massacre Case

From the Center for Justice and Accountability (CJA):

Earlier this week Judge Eloy Velasco of the Spanish National Court officially admitted the complaint CJA and APDHE filed last November on the Jesuits Massacre in El Salvador . In a fourteen page order, the court has now formally charged 14 former Salvadoran military officials, including General Ponce and General Rafael Humberto Larios, for their role in the 1989 massacre of six Jesuit priests and two women. The judge also approved our discovery requests which means that we will start making arrangements soon to bring witnesses to testify in Madrid .

The judge decided not to charge former President Alfredo Cristiani "at this time" for his role in covering up the crime explaining that he will make the decision after he has gathered additional evidence. We are confident that Cristiani will be added to the complaint once the judge has had an opportunity to review the evidence. This development is a very important step towards accountability for the families of those killed and the people of El Salvador and was widely covered in the international press. Click here to read the International Herald Tribune's coverage. Click here to view the Spanish National Television report.

The victims' families and the Salvadoran people have gone without justice for the massacre for nearly two decades. Two Salvadoran officers were found guilty of murder and "instigation and conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism" in 1991, only to be freed after the passage of the 1993 Amnesty Law. The law prevented prosecution of any crime committed during the 12 year Salvadoran Civil War in which 75,000 unarmed civilians were killed. The defendants continue to live freely in El Salvador , exerting political influence and lobbying to ensure that the 1993 Amnesty Law stays in place. Currently, this case is the sole avenue available to achieve justice for the victims.