For a summary of the most notorious graduates from El Salvador click here
EL SALVADOR
Name: Colonel Francisco del Cid Diaz
Country: El Salvador
Dates/courses: 2003, Cadet Troop Leader Training; 1991, Combat Arms Officer Adv. Course; 1988, Infantry Officer Basic Course . Info: In 1983, Colonel Diaz (then a 2nd Lieutenant) commanded a unit that forcibly removed 16 residents from the Los Hojas cooperative, bound and beat them, shot all 16 at point-blank range and threw their bodies in the Cuyuapa River. This very well known, very high profile and notorious massacre was cited in the annual State Department Human Rights Country Reports throughout the 1980s, and investigated by, and included in the final report of, the El Salvador Truth Commission. The OAS Inter-American Commission on Human Rights stated that there was substantial evidence that Col. del Cid Diaz gave orders to execute, and recommended that the Salvadoran government bring them to justice. Instead of facing justice, Col. del Cid Diaz was at the SOA/ WHINSEC in 2003.
Name: Captain Roberto D'Aubuisson
Country: El Salvador
Dates/courses: 1972, Communications Officer Course (Chief Off Communication 0 – 20)
Info: Romero assassination, 1980: Planned and ordered the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero, beloved champion of the poor in El Salvador. Death Squad Organizer, 1978-1992: Organized El Salvador's death squad network. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
Name: General Jose Guillermo Garcia
Country: El Salvador
Dates/courses: 1962 - CIO, Counterinsurgency Course
Info: El Mozote massacre, 1981: Then-defense minister Garcia, and the Armed Forces High Command, refused to investigate reports that hundreds of unarmed civilians were brutally murdered by the U.S.-trained Atlacatl battalion** in the Morazon province in December of 1981. The reports turned out to be true.
Murder of U.S. Churchwomen, 1980: Garcia also failed to launch a serious investigation of the murder of 4 U.S. church women by members of the Salvadoran National Guard in December 1980. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993) Later granted residency in the U.S.
**These events occurred in the course of an anti-guerrilla action known as "Operación Rescate" in which, in addition to the Atlacatl Battalion, units from the Third Infantry Brigade and the San Francisco Gotera Commando Training Centre took part. In the course of "Operación Rescate", massacres of civilians also occurred in the following places: 11 December, more than 20 people in La Joya canton; 12 December, some 30 people in the village of La RancherÃa; the same day, by units of the Atlacatl Battalion, the inhabitants of the village of Los Toriles; and 13 December, the inhabitants of the village of Jocote Amarillo and Cerro Pando canton. More than 500 identified victims perished at El Mozote and in the other villages. Many other victims have not been identified. (“From Madness to Hope: the 12-year war in El Salvador” Truth Commission Report for El Salvador, 1993)
Name: Lieutenant Colonel Domingo Monterrosa Barrios (deceased)
Country: El Salvador Dates/courses: 1966, Parachute Rigger Course Info: El Mozote massacre, 1981: Commander of the brutal Atlacatl battalion, which massacred hundreds of unarmed men, women and children in and around El Mozote in December 1991. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
Other officers in command of the Atlacatl Battalionl include SOA graduates: Commanding Officer: Major (now Colonel) Natividad de Jesús Cáceres Cabrera (1970, General Supply Officer Course); Chief of Operations: (deceased) Major José Armando Azmitia Melara (1967, Cadet Orientation Course); Company Commanders: (now Colonel) Juan Ernesto Méndez RodrÃguez (1970, Cadet Course); (deceased) Roberto Alfonso Mendoza Portillo (1980, Supply/Human Rights Course); (now Lieutenant Colonel) José Antonio RodrÃguez Molina (1972, Combat Arms/Support Services), (now Lieutenant Colonel) Captain Walter Oswaldo Salazar (1974 Basis in Engineering for Officers) and (currently a fugitive from justice) José Alfredo Jiménez (1971, Cadet Course). (“From Madness to Hope: the 12-year war in El Salvador” Truth Commission Report for El Salvador, 1993)
Name: General Rafael Humberto Larios
Country: El Salvador
Dates/courses: Command and General Staff course at the SOA in 1977.
Info: Jesuits massacre (1989): Held the rank of General and was Minister of Defense at the time. Was present at meetings where the orders were given and discussed.
Name: General Juan Rafael Bustillo
Country: El Salvador
Dates/courses: CIO Orientation course at the SOA in August of 1965
Info: Jesuits massacre (1989): Held the rank of general and was commander of the Salvadoran Air Force at the time of the massacre. Participated in the meetings where orders were given for the massacre.
Name: General Juan Orlando Zeped
Country: El Salvador
Dates/courses: 1975, Urban Counterinsurgency Ops.; 1969, Unnamed Course
Info: Jesuit massacre, 1989: Planned the assassination of 6 Jesuit priests and covered-up the massacre, which also took the lives of the priests' housekeeper and her teen-age daughter. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
Other war crimes, 1980's: The Non-Governmental Human Rights Commission in El Salvador also cites Zepeda for involvement in 210 summary executions, 64 tortures, and 110 illegal detentions. (Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador)
Member of the “La Tandona” and held the rank of colonel and served as the Vice Minister of Defense at the time of the massacre. Prior to the massacre he publicly accused the UCA of being the center of operations for the FMLN and was present for the meetings where orders were given for the massacre. He was later promoted to the rank of general.
Name: Colonel Inocente Orlando Montano
Country: El Salvador
Dates/courses: 1970, Engineer Officer Course
Info: Jesuit massacre, 1989: Was in on the planning of the massacre, and cooperated in the cover-up. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
Held the rank of colonel and was a Vice Minister in the Salvadoran government at the time of the massacre. Prior to the massacre he publicly accused the Jesuits of being aligned with subversive movements and was present for the meetings where orders were given for the massacre.
Other SOA graduates who were compicit to the 1989 Jesuit massacre are:
• Colonel Francisco Elena Fuentes – held the rank of colonel and was the commander of the First Infantry Brigade in San Salvador at the time of the massacre. He was present for the meetings where orders were given for the massacre, and one day after the killings, troops from his First Infantry Brigade attempted to intimidate members of San Salvador’s Archdiocese by transmitting messages over loudspeakers saying, “We are still killing communists, EllacurÃa and MartÃn-Baró have fallen, surrender, this is the First Brigade.” Fuentes took the Irregular warfare course at the SOA in 1969, a second course in 1973, and was invited to the SOA to be an instructor in 1985.
• Lieutenant Colonel Carlos Camilo Hernández Barahona – held the rank of major and was the interim Assistant Dean at the Military College in El Salvador at the time of the massacre and later promoted to lieutenant colonel. On the night of November 15, 1989, he was present when Benavides informed the officers at the Military College of the order he had been given to murder EllacurÃa and remained silent when asked by Benavides if anyone objected to the order. Later, Benavides ordered Hernández Barahona to organize and plan the operation.
Hernández Barahona organized and attended the meeting where the orders were given for the massacre. He also handed over an AK-47 rifle that had been captured from the FMLN and told them to use it in the massacre. The use of the FMLN AK-47 would serve to point blame away from the Armed Forces and toward the FMLN. Additionally, Hernández Barahona ordered them to leave behind at the murder site propaganda mentioning the FMLN.
Hernández Barahona was also involved in the cover up, by taking part in the burning of a small suitcase containing photographs, documents and money which the soldiers had stolen from the Jesuits. In conjunction with Benavides he ordered that all Military College arrival and departure logs for that year and the previous year be burned. This was done to prevent investigators from learning who had attended the meetings held at the Military College at the time the murders of the Jesuits were being planned and ordered. He attended the SOA twice in both 1972 and 1975.
• Second Lieutenant Gonzalo Guevara Cerritos – held the rank of Second Lieutenant and was assigned to the Atlacatl Battalion at the time of the massacre. He was not the commander of the unit, but was an officer with command authority over the troops that carried out the massacre. He was sentenced to three years for instigation and conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism for his role in the Jesuits massacre and was later released and continued active service in the armed forces. Cerritos came to the U.S. in 2005 and was employed in Los Angeles. He was deported back to El Salvador in April 2007. He attended the SOA in 1988.
• Sergeant Antonio Ramiro Avalos Vargas – was a sergeant in the Salvadoran Army and was assigned to the Atlacatl Battalion at the time of the massacre. In the 1991-1992 trial he admitted to killing Fathers López and Moreno. He was not convicted. He attended the SOA in 1988.
Biographies courtesy of the Center for Justice and Accountability's website. You can access the full biographies here.
COL Napolean Alvarado, 1974, Military Police Officer Course Las Hojas massacre, 1983: Covered-up the Army massacre at Las Hojas, in which 16 civilians were murdered and their corpses burnt. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
1LT Mario Arevalo Melendez, 1989, Commando Operations Course Jesuit massacre, 1989: Had prior knowledge of the massacre of 6 Jesuit priests and covered-up the massacre, which also included the priests' housekeeper and her teen-age daughter. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
CPT Eduardo Ernesto Alfonso Avila, 1967, Cadet Orientation Course Sheraton Hotel murders, 1981: Planned and ordered the assassination of Mike Hammer and Mark Pearlman (representatives of the AFL-CIO?s notorious American Institute for Free Labor Development) and Rodolfo Viera, an agent of the Salvadoran Land Reform Institute. Romero assassination, 1980: Planned and ordered the assassination of beloved Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero on March 24, 1980. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
SGT Antonio Ramiro Avalos Vargas, 1988, Small Unit Training and Management
Jesuit massacre, 1989: Non-commissioned officer in charge of the small unit that massacred 6 Jesuit priests, their housekeeper, and her daughter, (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
Eduardo Avila, 1967, Cadet Orienation
Murder of US Advisors, 1981: Ordered the murders of Mike Hammer and Mark Pearlman (representatives of the AFL-CIO?s notorious American Institute for Free Labor Development) and Rodolfo Viera, an agent of the Salvadoran Land Reform Institute. (Americas Watch Report: Settling into Routine: Human Rights Abuses in Durate’s Second Year, 1986)
COL Carlos Armando Aviles Buitrago, 1968, Cadet Course
Jesuit massacre, 1989: Aided in the planning and the cover-up of the massacre of 6 priests, their housekeeper, and her daughter. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
MAJ Armando Azmitia Melara, 1967, Cadet Orientation Course El Mozote massacre, 1981: Was operations chief of the battalion (Atlacatl) which massacred hundreds of unarmed men, women and children at El Mozote. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
Lake Suchitlan massacre, 1983: Commanded the Atlacatl battalion in the massacre of 117 people. (U.S. Arms Control and Foreign Policy Caucus (House of Representatives) memo, April 25, 1990)
Los Llanitos massacre, 1984: Commanded the Atlacatl battalion in the massacre of 68 people, most of whom were under age 14. (U.S. Arms Control and Foreign Policy Caucus (House of Representatives) memo, April 25, 1990)
MAJ Mauricio de Jes?s Beltran Granados, 1987, Small Unit Administration Instruction
San Sebastian massacre, 1988: Ordered the needless murder of 10
prisoners and participated in the cover-up. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
GEN Adolfo O. Blandon, 1964, Infantry Officer Course; 1960, Officer Cadet Course
San Sebastian massacre, 1988: Initially claimed that the 10 civilians the Army killed were actually victims of "their own guerilla companions." He called U.S. congressional staff members who made inquiries about the case "political mercenaries," and suggested they leave El Salvador alone and investigate crimes in the U.S. (Americas Watch Report, The Army Massacre at San Francisco, 1989)
GEN Juan Rafael Bustillo,1965, Counterinsurgency Orientation Jesuit massacre, 1989: Planned and covered-up the massacre of 6 priests, their housekeeper and her daughter. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
Torture, rape, murder of French nurse, 1989: Bustillo (with 3 other SOA graduates) is wanted in France in connection with the torture, rape, and murder of 27-year-old Madeleine Lagadec in El Salvador in 1989. Her raped, bullet-riddled body was found with its left hand severed.
(Associated Press, 4/29/95)
Labor union murders: Members of a school teachers' union claim that the Air Force, under Bustillo's control, targeted union members for torture and murder, including Maria Cristina Gomez and Miguel Angel Lazo Quintanilla (Amnesty International Report, Latin America: Human Rights Violations Against Trade Unionists, March 1991)
MAJ Natividad de Jes?s Caceres Cabrera, 1970, General Supply Officer Course
El Mozote massacre, 1981: 2nd in command of the Atlacatl battalion, which carried out most of the killing at El Mozote. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
SOT Mario Canizales Espinoza, 1982, Patrol Course
Dutch journalist murders, 1982: Led the squad that carried out the ambush against 3 unarmed Dutch journalists. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
LTC Juan Carlos Carrillo Schlenker, 1968, Cadet Course
Tortured, denied medical aid to prisoner under his command: His
US-trained Atlacatl soldiers tortured a wounded prisoner for three days with, among other things, electric shocks. (U.S. Arms Control and Foreign Policy Caucus (House of Representatives) memo, 4/25/90)
CPT Victor Efrain Cartagena, 1982 Adm/Instru de Uni Pequen 0-2A; 1973,
Combat Arms/Support Basic Crs Torture: Personally tortured political prisoners and unionist, including slapping and electric shock. (El Salvador Update: Counterterrorism in Action, El Rescate Human Rights Department)
GEN Oscar Edgardo Casanova Vejar, 1963, Engineer Officer Course Murder of U.S. churchwomen, 1980: Was in charge of the National Guard at the airport at the time when the murders occurred. Knew that members of the National Guard had committed the murders and facilitated the cover-up of the facts which obstructed the corresponding judicial investigation.
(United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
COL Jos? Emilio Chavez Caceres, 1975, Military Intelligence Officer Course; 1974, Urban Counterinsurgency Course San Sebastian massacre, 1988: Officer in charge of the soldiers who carried out the needless murder of 10 civilian prisoners. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
COL Alejandro Cisneros, 1974, Command and General Staff College El Mozote massacre, 1981: Commanded a company that participated in the massacre.
El Junquillo massacre, 1981: Failed to investigate the massacre of women and children in El Junquillo. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
Luis Antonio Colindres Aleman, 1980, Asp/Derechos Humanos/Def/Desar OE-9 Murder of U.S. churchwomen, 1980: Ordered four guardsmen to kill the churchwomen. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993) Currently serving a prison sentence related to this crime.
Roberto D'Aubuisson, 1972, Communications Officer Course
Romero assassination, 1980: Planned and ordered the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero, beloved champion of the poor in El Salvador. Death Squad Organizer, 1978-1992: Organized El Salvador's death squad network. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
1LT Francisco Del Cid D?az, 2003, Cadet Troop Leader Training; 1991, Combat Arms Officer Adv. Course; 1988,
Infantry Officer Basic Course
Las Hojas massacre, 1983: Transmitted the orders for the massacre of 16 civilians. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993) Instead of facing justice, we find that Col. del Cid Diaz was at the WHINSEC in 2003, and was also enrolled in SOA in 1988 and 1991.
COL Francisco Elena Fuentes, 1985-1986, Guest Instructor; 1973, Officer Supply Course
Jesuit massacre, 1989: Planned and covered-up the massacre. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
Supervised death squad training, 1990: U.S. Ambassador William Walker termed Elena Fuentes and the First Brigade "among the worst in terms of human rights." Besides commanding the brigade, Elena Fuentes supervised the training of a death squad called "The Patriotic Ones." (The New York Times, 12/13/93)
1LT Jos? R. Espinoza Guerra, 1982, Spanish Officer Cadet Course
Jesuit massacre, 1989: Part of the patrol that massacred 6 Jesuit priests, their housekeeper and her daughter. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
Salvador Figueroa Morales, 1986, Curso para Oficiales de Combate
Las Hojas Massacre, 1983: Linked to the massacre at Las Hojas in which 74 peasants were killed. (Americas Watch Report: Draining the Sea, 1985)
CPT Jos? Fuentes Rodas, 1986, Combat Arms Officer Course; 1980, Cadet Orientation
Jesuit massacre, 1989: Planned and covered up the massacre. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
1LT Francisco M. Gallardo Mata, 1992, Combat Operations Course; 1990,
Combat Arms Officer Adv. Course
Jesuit massacre, 1989: Planned and covered-up the massacre. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
1LT Manuel de Jes?s Galvez Galvez, 1986, Psychological Operations Course
San Sebastian massacre, 1998: Covered-up the murder of 10 civilian prisoners. United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
GEN Jos? Guillermo Garc?a, 1962, Counterinsurgency Course
El Mozote massacre, 1981: Then-defense minister Garc?a refused to investigate reports that hundreds of unarmed civilians were brutally murdered by the U.S.-trained Atlacatl battalion in the Morazon province in December of 1981. The reports turned out to be true.
Murder of U.S. Churchwomen, 1980: Garc?a also failed to launch a serious investigation of the murder of 4 U.S. church women by members of the Salvadoran National Guard in December 1980. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
Later granted residency in the U.S.
COL Jos? Mario Godinez Castillo, 1968, Cadet Course
1,051 summary executions, 318 torture cases, and 610 illegal detentions are attributable to Godinez Castillo and soldiers under his command, according to the Non-Governmental Human Rights Commission in El Salvador. (Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador)
LTC Julio Cesar Grijalva, 1973, Combat Arms Course; 1968, Cadet Course
Massacred medical workers, patients at a field hospital, 1989:
US-trained Atlacatl soldiers under his command raped and killed medical personnel and patients at a Chalatenango field hospital on Feb. 13, 1989. Also under his command, US trained Atlacatl soldiers repeatedly beat and sexually abused a 23-year-old factory worker, saying that no one could do anything to punish them because they were military personnel. (U.S. Arms Control and Foreign Policy Caucus (House of Representatives) memo 4/25/90)
1LT Gonzalo Guevara Cerritos, 1988, El Salvador Cadet Course
Jesuit massacre, 1989: Was a member of the patrol that killed the 6 Jesuit priests, their housekeeper and her daughter. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
1LT Jos? V. Hern?ndez Ayala, 1991, Combat Arms Officer Course
Jesuit massacre, 1989: Knew in advance of the massacre and aided in the cover-up of the murder of 6 Jesuit priests, their housekeeper and her teen-age daughter. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
LTC Carlos Camillio Hern?ndez Barahona, 1975, Communications Officer
Course; 1972, Combat Arms/Support Services
Jesuit massacre, 1989: Planned and covered-up the massacre of 6 Jesuit priests, their housekeeper and her sixteen-year- old daughter. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
CPT Jos? Alfredo Jim?nez, 1971, Cadet Course
El Mozote massacre, 1981: Commanded a company of the Atlacatl battalion, which carried out the majority of the killings at El Mozote. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
MAJ Baltazar Lopez Cortez, 1947, Motor Mech; 1959, Infantry Weapons;
1959, Infantry Tactics
Death Squad Participation: Charged with death squad participation in 1987. (El Salvador Update: Counter-terrorism in Action, El Rescate Human Rights Department)
1LT Ram?n E. Lopez Larios, 1992, Combat Arms Officer Adv. Course; 1988,
Infantry Officer Basic Course Jesuit massacre, 1989: Planned and covered-up the massacre. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
1LT Rene Roberto Lopez Morales, 1990, Combined Officer Advanced Course; 1988, Commando Operations Course; 1987, Combat Arms Officer Course Jesuit massacre, 1989: Planned and covered-up the massacre. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
COL Reynaldo Lopez Nuila, 1963, CIO
Head of National Police: Headed the National Police during a period when it was responsible for major abuses of human rights (Americas Watch Report: Draining the Sea, 1985)
1LT Rodolfo Isidro Lopez Sibrian, 1974, Combat Arms/Support Services
Sheraton Hotel murders, 1983: Planned and covered- up the murder of Mike Hammer and Mark Pearlman (representatives of the AFL-CIO?s notorious American Institute for Free Labor Development) and Rodolfo Viera, an agent of the Salvadoran Land Reform Institute. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El
Salvador, 1993)
Kidnapping for profit, 1982-1986: Involved in a kidnapping ring that purported to be the FMLN and demanded ransoms from the wealthiest citizens of El Salvador.
He made approximately $4 million prior to his arrest in 1986.
(Department of State Report on the Situation in El Salvador, 4/1/88)
COL Nelson Lopez y Lopez,1968, Cadet Course
Jesuit massacre, 1989: Assigned to investigate the massacre, he instead participated in the cover-up. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
COL Dionisio Ismael Machuca, 1984, Joint Operations Course 318 torture cases and 618 detentions, 1980-1993: The Non- Governmental Human Rights Commission in El Salvador has attributed hundreds of cases of human right: abuse to Machuca. (Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador)
1LT Edgar Santiago Mart?nez Marroquin, 1991, Combat Arms Officer Course Jesuit massacre, 1989: Had prior knowledge of the massacre of Jesuit priests and aided in the cover-up of the crime, which also cost the lives of the priests' housekeeper and her daughter. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
CPT Carlos Napolian Medina Garay, 1970, Cadet Course
El Junquillo massacre, 1981: Commander of the unit which burned crops, raped women and children (many under the age of 12), and murdered them. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
LTC Jose Adolfo Medrano, 1974, Urban Counterinsurgency Ops.
Death Squad Participation: Charged with death squad participation in 1987. (El Salvador Update: Counter-terrorism in Action, El Rescate Human Rights Department)
CPT Juan Ernesto Mendez Rodr?guez, 1970, Cadet Course
El Mozote massacre, 1981: Commander of an Atlacatl company that
participated in the massacre of hundreds of unarmed men, women and children at El Mozote. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
CPT Roberto Alfonso Mendoza Portillo, 1980, Supply/Human Rights Course
El Mozote massacre, 1981: Commander of an Atlacatl company that
participated in the massacre of hundreds of unarmed men, women and children at El Mozote. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
1LT Yusshy Rene Mendoza Vallecillos, 1988, Commando Operation Course; 1982, Spanish Officer Cadet Course
Jesuit massacre, 1989: Convicted for heading the patrol that slaughtered 6 Jesuit priests, their housekeeper and her teen-age daughter. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
COL Inocente Orlando Montano,1970, Engineer Officer Course Jesuit massacre, 1989: Was in on the planning of the massacre, and cooperated in the cover-up. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
COL Domingo Monterrosa, 1966, Parachute Rigger Course
El Mozote massacre, 1981: Commander of the brutal Atlacatl battalion, which massacred hundreds of unarmed men, women and children in and around El Mozote in December 1991. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
LTC Mario Denis Moran Echeverria,1967, Tactical Officer, Cadet Course
Sheraton Hotel murders, 1981: On January 3, 1981, members of the
National Guard murdered Mike Hammer and Mark Pearlman (representatives of the AFL-CIO?s notorious American Institute for Free Labor Development) and Rodolfo Viera, an agent of the Salvadoran Land Reform Institute at the Sheraton Hotel in San Salvador. Moran Echeverria was part of the cover-up. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
Death Squads: Linked with death squads on a list given to Vice President Bush. (Americas Watch Report: Settling into Routine: Human Rights Abuses in Durate’s Second Year, 1986)
CPT Oscar Armando Pe?a Duran, 1986, Combat Arms Officer Course
Major Human Rights Violations, 1993-94: As Deputy Director of El
Salvador's National Civilian Police, Pe?a Duran severed the close relationship that organization formerly held with the United Nations Observer Mission to El Salvador (ONUSAL). Under his leadership, cases of torture, arbitrary detentions and lack of due process abounded. Pe?a Duran gave privileged positions to former anti-narcotics officers who had not received specialized training; in early 1994, his thugs supervised "round-ups" of criminals which netted few arrests but violated the human rights of many innocent bystanders. Pe?a Duran resigned in May 1994 under intense pressure from many quarters, including that of the United States. (Human Rights Watch World Report 1986)
San Sebastian massacre, 1988: Knew of the intent to murder 10 civilian prisoners, and cooperated with the cover-up. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
LTC Gustavo Perdomo Hern?ndez, 1991, Command and General Staff College; 1974, Basic Combat Arms and Support
Torture, rape, murder of French nurse, 1989: In April 1995, a French court issued international arrest warrants for Perdomo and three other SOA graduates for involvement in the torture, rape, and murder of 27-year-old Madeleine Lagadec in El Salvador in 1989. Her raped, bullet-riddled body was found with its left hand severed. (Associated Press, 4/29/95)
CPL Angel Perez Vasquez, 1987, Small Unit Training and Management
Jesuit massacre, 1989: Was a member of the small unit that slaughtered 6 Jesuit priests, their housekeeper and her daughter. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
COL Roberto Pineda Guerra, 1967, Cadet Course
Plotted violent coup, 1992: In 1992, U.S. intelligence reports
implicated Pineda in a plot to violently overthrow El Salvador's
then-President Alfredo Cristiani. (The New York Times, 11/9/93)
COL Mario Adalberto Reyes Mena, 1960, Officer Cadet Course Dutch journalist murders, 1982: Planned and ordered the ambush and massacre of 3 Dutch journalists in the province of Chalatenango, whose murder served as a warning to other journalists who reported the cruelty of the US-trained Salvadoran military. (United Nations Truth Commission
Report on El Salvador, 1993)
LT Jorge Alberto Rivas Aguirre, 1987, Combat Officer Course
Santa Ana Murders, 1987: On August 9, 1987 (less than six months after he attended the SOA) Rivas and 2 enlisted men from the Second Brigade abducted 4 men leaving a fair in San Salvador. One escaped, the bodies of the others were discovered by the highway 3 days later. (Department of State Report on the Situation in El Salvador, 4/1/88)
COL Manuel Antonio Rivas Mejia, 1975, Urban Counterinsurgency Ops.;1970, Cadet Course
Jesuit massacre, 1989: Assigned to investigate the massacre, Rivas Mejia instead participated in the cover-up. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
LTC Rene Rodr?guez Hurtado, 1985, Combat Officer Review
Torture, rape. murder of French nurse, 1989: In April 1995, a French court issued international arrest warrants for Rodr?guez and three other SOA graduates for involvement in the torture, rape, and murder of 27-year-old Madeleine Lagadec in El Salvador in 1989. Her raped, bullet-riddled body was found with its left hand severed. (Associated Press, 4/29/95)
LTC Jos? Antonio Rodr?guez Molina, 1972, Combat Arms/Support Services
San Sebastian massacre, 1988: Could have prevented the killing of 10 civilian prisoners, but did nothing. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
GEN Gilberto Rubio, 1976, Logistics Management Course,1971, Tactical Officer Cadet Course
Jesuit massacre, 1989: Participated in the cover-up of the massacre of 6 Jesuit priests, their housekeeper, and her daughter, who were all murdered at the priests' residence at the University of Central America in San Salvador. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
CPT Walter Oswaldo Salazar, 1974, Engineer Officer Basic Course;1971, Cadet Course
El Mozote massacre, 1981: Commanded an Atlacatl company that
participated in the massacre of hundreds of citizens in and around El Mozote. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
1LT Carlos Sasso Landaverry, 1990, Combat Arms Officer Adv. Course
Las Hojas massacre, 1983: Was one of two officers in charge of the unit that killed 16 civilians and burnt their corpses. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
COL Roberto Staben, 1982, Joint Operations Course; 1971, "O-20"
Kidnapping for profit, 1982-1985: Strongly implicated in the same kidnapping ring as Lopez Sibrian (above), but released on lack of evidence. (Department of State Report on the Situation in El Salvador, 4/1/88)
COL Luis Mariano Turcios, 1966, Parachute Rigger Course
San Sebastian massacre, 1988: Could have prevented the murder of 10 civilians, but did not. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
COL Carlos Eugenio Vides Casanova,1985, Guest Speaker
Murder of 4 U.S. churchwomen, 1980: Knew that members of the National Guard had committed the murders and, facilitated the cover-up of the facts which obstructed the corresponding judicial investigation. (United Nations Truth Commission Report
on El Salvador, 1993) Later granted residence in the U.S.
GEN Rafael Villamariona,1983, Joint Operations Course
Torture, rape, murder of French nurse, 1989: In April 1995, a French court issued international arrest warrants for Villamariona and three other SOA graduates for involvement in the torture, rape, and murder of 27-year-old Madeleine Lagadec in El Salvador in 1989. Her raped, bullet-riddled body was found with its left hand severed. (AP, 4/29/95)
GEN Juan Orlando Zepeda, 1975, Urban Counterinsurgency Ops.; 1969,
Unnamed Course
Jesuit massacre, 1989: Planned the assassination of 6 Jesuit priests and covered-up the massacre, which also took the lives of the priests' housekeeper and her teen-age daughter. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
Other war crimes, 1980's: The Non-Governmental Human Rights Commission in El Salvador also cites Zepeda for involvement in 210 summary executions, 64 tortures, and 110 illegal
detentions. (Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador)
MAJ Lizandro Zepeda Velasco, 1966, General Supply Officer Course
Murder of U.S. churchwomen, 1980: Planned the murder of 3 U.S. nuns and a Catholic lay-worker. (United Nations Truth Commission Report on El Salvador, 1993)
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