US Court Finds Former Defense Minister of El Salvador Guilty of Torture and Murder
On Wednesday, March 12, in a precedent-setting decision, a US immigration appeals court ruled that El Salvador's former Minister of Defense, General Carlos Eugenio Vides Casanova, was guilty of direct responsibility in murders and torture committed by troops under his command during the country's Civil War (1980-1992) and can be deported. One of the many heinous crimes Vides Casanova was found responsible for was the 1980 abduction, rape, and murder of four churchwomen from the United States.
The general's own defense also served as an indictment of US policy toward the Central American nation, as he argued that deportation would be "manifestly unjust" as he was "consistently and uniformly led to believe that his conduct was consistent with the official policy" of the US government.
Read more details about the case in the New York Times.
"I am a CISPES supporter because continuing to fight for social justice and a more people-centered country means continuing the dream and sacrifice of thousands of my fellow Salvadorans who died for that vision.” - Padre Carlos, New York City
