US sanctions 13 former Salvadoran soldiers for 1989 killing of
Jesuits
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| A mural on El Salvador's martyrs includes the 6 Jesuits assassinated in 1989 (ANSA) |
The United States State Department sanctions 13 current and
former El Salvadoran military officials for their roles in the high-profile
extrajudicial killings of 8 people, including 6 Jesuit priests, over 30 years
ago during the Central American country's civil war.
By Robin Gomes
The sanction imposed on Wednesday bars the 13 and their
immediate family members from entering the United States.
The 6 Jesuit priests were dragged from their beds and killed
on Nov. 16, 1989, by uniformed gunmen at the Jesuit-run Central American
University (UCA) in San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador, during the height
of a major leftist rebel offensive during the civil war. The priests'
cook-housekeeper and her daughter were also shot.
In a statement on Jan. 29, Mike Pompeo, US Secretary of
State, said he has "credible information" that the current or former
officials were directly or indirectly involved in "a gross violation of
human rights or significant corruption." They were “involved in the
planning and execution of the extrajudicial killings”.
“The United States supports the ongoing accountability,
reconciliation, and peace efforts in El Salvador,” Pompeo said. “We value our
ongoing working relationship with the Salvadoran Armed Forces, but will continue
to use all available tools and authorities, as appropriate, to address human
rights violations and abuses around the world no matter when they occurred or
who perpetrated them.”
“Today’s actions underscore our support for human rights and
our commitment to promoting accountability for perpetrators and encouraging
reconciliation and a just and lasting peace,” Pompeo added.
The Salvadoran Civil War was fought from 1979 to 1992
between the country's right-wing military government and the Farabundo Marti
National Liberation Front (FMLN), a left-wing revolutionary group, which today
is a political party.
The war killed an estimated 75,000 people and left 8,000
more missing.
The Jesuits in El Salvador were active proponents of peace
talks and negotiation between the government and the FMLN. It is believed that
the Jesuits were ordered to be executed for their apparent support of the FMLN,
who had just launched an offensive.
The priests killed were Ignacio Ellacuría, rector of UCA;
Ignacio Martín-Baró; Segundo Montes; Amando López; Joaquín López y López; and
Juan Ramón Moreno Pardo. All were Spaniards except for López y López, a
Salvadoran.
Their housekeeper, Elba Ramos, and her 15-year-old daughter,
Celina, were also executed. The soldiers disguised the operation as a
rebel attack, leaving a message at the site meant to implicate the FMLN.
The US was a supporter of the Salvadoran government during
the war. The Atlacatl Battalion, which killed Fr. Ellacuría and his companions,
was trained by American advisers.
The extrajudicial killings garnered international attention
and increased pressure for a peace settlement.
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