No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeTopicsCrimeEl Salvador to arrest soldiers accused of 1989 priest murders

El Salvador to arrest soldiers accused of 1989 priest murders

SAN SALVADOR — El Salvador has vowed to arrest 17 retired soldiers accused of killing six Jesuit priests and two women in 1989.

The announcement came two days after a Spanish judge sent a new request to international police agency Interpol demanding their arrest.

“We consider compliance with international arrest warrants to be mandatory, and we must proceed with immediate implementation by the Salvadoran authorities,” Salvador’s human rights ombudsman David Morales said late Wednesday.

In 2011, the former soldiers evaded a Spanish order for their arrest by taking refuge in military barracks in San Salvador.

They also secured a ruling from El Salvador’s Supreme Court saying they were protected by an amnesty that pardoned the atrocities committed during the 1980-1992 civil war.

See also: Remembering the Jesuits: Seeking justice in El Salvador after a quarter-century

El Salvador Jesuits massacre
Photo by Joeff Davis

But this time, Morales urged the High Court to “proceed immediately to ensure the arrest of the accused.”

Spanish High Court Judge Eloy Velasco has reissued the orders for the arrest of the former soldiers.

They include Col. Inocente Montano, a former vice minister of public safety who is serving a 21-month sentence in the United States for immigration fraud.

Morales urged the United States to allow his extradition to Spain.

He also called on the military to “abstain” from blocking the arrest of the former soldiers.

Five of the priests killed in November 1989 were Spanish and one was Salvadoran. The soldiers also killed the priests’ housekeeper and her daughter.

Trending Now

FBI Recordings Reveal Costa Rica Ex-Minister Celso Gamboa’s Drug Ties

Costa Rican authorities continue to hold former security minister Celso Gamboa in custody as U.S. officials push for his extradition on drug charges. Recent...

Former Costa Rican President Miguel Ángel Rodríguez Faces Trial

Miguel Ángel Rodríguez, who served as Costa Rica’s president from 1998 to 2002, returned to court on today, to face charges in the so-called...

End of Air Canada Strike Brings Relief for Costa Rica-Bound Passengers

Air Canada flight attendants ended their strike Tuesday after reaching a tentative agreement with the airline, paving the way for flights to resume gradually....

US Cracks Down on Costa Rica’s Narco Network with New Sanctions

The US Treasury Department moved against a Costa Rican drug trafficking ring today sanctioning four individuals and two entities tied to cocaine smuggling and...

Costa Rica Issues Green Weather Alert as Heavy Rains Expected

The National Emergency Commission (CNE) has declared a green weather alert across Costa Rica due to the expected increase in rainfall over the coming...

Mexico Battles Wildfire Damage with Drone-Based Reforestation

Authorities in the state of Michoacán, in western Mexico, are using drones to scatter seeds from the air in an effort to reforest hundreds...
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica