Investigation into El Mozote massacre opens in El Salvador
Judge Jorge Alberto Guzman has reopened the case of the massacre at El Mozote. Upwards of one thousand people of El Mozote and its surrounding hamlets were murdered by the country's armed forces in December 1981.
The brutal murders were presented as a parable of the Cold War in Mark Danner's terrific book. In the past, I've asked my students to write a paper on what lessons Danner tries to convey about the Salvadoran civil war, the United States, and the Cold War in Latin America. It's more complicated than a US trained battalion murdered one thousand civilians.
I still support the Salvadoran people's decision to investigate, and prosecute if necessary, many of the most egregious human rights violations of the civil war. The country's political and judicial institutions should be strong enough to handle these cases, albeit imperfectly, nearly twenty-five years after the end of the civil war. Investigations should bring about some measure of justice to the victims, education about the war to the general population, and strengthening of the rule of law.
The brutal murders were presented as a parable of the Cold War in Mark Danner's terrific book. In the past, I've asked my students to write a paper on what lessons Danner tries to convey about the Salvadoran civil war, the United States, and the Cold War in Latin America. It's more complicated than a US trained battalion murdered one thousand civilians.
"The reopening of the case is an open door to seek justice that has been denied for so many years to victims of crimes against humanity in El Salvador," lawyer Ovidio Gonzalez told Reuters.
The reopening of the case follows formal complaints by local human rights groups and victims families seeking justice for those killed in El Mozote.
Those pushing the case seek a truthful accounting of what happened and the facts surrounding who ordered the massacre, Gonzalez said. They are not seeking punishments such as jail terms, he added, but want those responsible to admit their roles and ask for forgiveness.
Judge Guzman has ordered military records from the time of the massacre to be turned over, as well as additional records on 14 named ex-army and security officials.Judge Guzman's decision comes nearly three months after the country's constitutional court declared the country's amnesty law unconstitutional, causing politicians from across the political spectrum to warn of the ruling's potentially destabilizing consequences. I get the feeling that the FMLN is going to repeat its concerns given that the country has experienced a few months of lower homicide numbers.
I still support the Salvadoran people's decision to investigate, and prosecute if necessary, many of the most egregious human rights violations of the civil war. The country's political and judicial institutions should be strong enough to handle these cases, albeit imperfectly, nearly twenty-five years after the end of the civil war. Investigations should bring about some measure of justice to the victims, education about the war to the general population, and strengthening of the rule of law.
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