Spain to investigate Salvadoran Jesuit massacre

Spain's High Court will indict fourteen former military officials for the brutal 1989 massacre of eight people in El Salvador.

Judge Eloy Velasco said that he will investigate the “Massacre of the Jesuits”, whose name comes from the six Jesuit priests slain at the hands of a Salvadoran army battalion. The killings brought increased global attention to El Salvador’s bloody civil war and the ensuing outrage helped speed up a peace agreement three years later.

Velasco accepted the petition filed in November by human rights groups who chose Spain due to its application of international law to pursue the likes of ex-Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet.

The High Court rejected the request to investigate ex-El Salvador President Alfredo Cristiani who has been accused of covering-up the massacre. Despite the setback, the head of California's Center for Justice and Accountability- one of the petitioning parties- was pleased with the court’s decision:

"The judge's prompt action underscores the importance of this case not only for the families of the victims and the people of El Salvador but for the cause of human rights accountability around the globe," Pamela Merchant said in a statement. "We look forward to a successful prosecution of all of those responsible for this heinous act."

Image- daylife.com (“The bodies of killed Jesuit priests are seen in this Nov. 16, 1989, file photo in El Salvador.”)
Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, IHT, javno.hr, BBC News, Prensa Latina