In the wake of decision declaring Amnesty Law unconstitutional, victims of the El Mozote Massacre demand justice

San Salvador, 19 de agosto de 2016.- The Oficina de Tutela Legal Dra. María Julia Hernández along with the Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL), and the Asociación Promotora de Derechos Humanos de El Mozote anounced this morning the request for the reopening of the investigation into the El Mozote massacre. The petition was presented before the Secod Judge of the Court of First Instance of San Francisco Gotera.

“There are enough existing elements for conviction within the criminal proceedings that reasonably establish the existence of crimes against humanity and crimes of war, and with that the comittal of the material and intelectual authors, co-authors and accomplices of the El Mozote massace,” said Ovidio Mauricio, a representative of the Tutela Legal. Once the claim was filed, Mauricio asked judicial authorities to inmediate investigate the facts.

This case is the first one for which there is a request for a re-opening after the Amnesty Law in El Salvador were declared unconstitutional. In the document presented to the judge, the organizations asked for a “serious, dilligent, exhaustive investigation with a reasonable timeline” as ordered by the Inter-American Court on Human Rights in its ruling issued in 2012.

The massacre,which took place on the 10, 11 and 12 of December, 1981, is the largest mass-killing documented in Latin America. “For 35 years we have fought tirelessly and we hope once and for all that authorities do their work and tell us the truth about what happened and help us find justice for the atrocities we suffered,” said María Dorila Márquez de Márquez, president of the Asociación Promotora de Derechos Humanos de El Mozote.

“The unconstitutionality of the Amnesty Law and its removal from internal jurisdiction constituted a small but important step to eliminate the barriers faced by judges and prosecuters to investigate. We trust that Salvadorean authorities will honor their international obligations and will take further steps to end with the 35 years of impunity faced by this case,” added Valentina Ballesta of CEJIL, organization representing the victims before the Inter-American System on Human Rights.

Additional information: to know more about the case, click here.