Promoting Accountability in El Salvador: The Case of El Mozote

On February 27, 2018, The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission held a briefing to ensure accountability for grave human rights abuses committed during El Salvador’s civil war, examined through the lens of the El Mozote massacre. The briefing reviewed the history of the massacre and its impact, discussed the challenges involved in the legal case, and provided recommendations for ways the U.S. government can contribute to justice for the victims and their families.

About the El Mozote Massacre

Over a three-day period in December 1981, Salvadoran army troops massacred over 1,000 civilians, primarily women and children, in and near the town of El Mozote in the remote eastern region of the country. The massacre was the largest of the twelve-year war.

Although a post-conflict UN-sponsored Truth Commission recommended pursuing justice in key cases of human rights violations, a 1993 amnesty law suspended investigations and prosecutions underway and precluded new ones. But the Salvadoran Constitutional Court overturned the amnesty in 2016, opening the door to new legal efforts on victims’ behalf. The first case that has begun to make its way through the judicial system is that of El Mozote, in which eighteen retired military officers are on trial.

The United States provided assistance and training to the Salvadoran military during the war, and in the years since, has supported initiatives to strengthen the judicial system, in particular the office of the Attorney General. The El Mozote case is a test for principles of judicial independence and equality before the law in El Salvador, and also points to the potential importance of facilitating access to U.S. archival records.

Tuesday, February 27, 2018 - 2:00pm

Additional links

• Trascript of opening remarks delivered by Jim McGovern
• Panelists' biographies
• Photo gallery

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