SAN SALVADOR — 1989 · Murder
The UCA Jesuit Massacre
On 16 November 1989, soldiers killed six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper and her daughter on the campus of the Central American University (UCA) in San Salvador. The priests included rector Ignacio Ellacuría, an advocate of peace talks. Investigations showed the order came from the army's high command; a 1991 domestic trial convicted only two officers, who were freed under the 1993 amnesty. In a universal-jurisdiction case in Spain, a retired colonel who had been vice-minister of defence, extradited from the United States, was sentenced in September 2020 to 133 years for the murders of five Spanish priests.
- Date
- 1989
- Place
- San Salvador, El Salvador, San Salvador, SV
- Category
- Murder
- Case Status
- Solved
- Coordinates
- 13.6806, -89.2359 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 16 November 1989Six priests, a housekeeper and her daughter were killed at UCA.
- 1991Two officers were convicted in a domestic trial.
- 1993The amnesty law freed those convicted.
- 2017The former colonel was extradited from the US to Spain.
- 11 September 2020Spain's National Court imposed a 133-year sentence.
Sources
- Amnesty International — Conviction for the murder of Jesuit priests amnesty.org ↗
- National Security Archive — Justice for the Jesuits nsarchive.gwu.edu ↗
- CJA — The Jesuits Massacre Case cja.org ↗
- Amnesty International
- National Security Archive
- CJA
Source grade B: at least one verifiable linked source. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.