Prosecutor accuses former Salvadoran President Alfredo Cristiani for Jesuits' murder

El Salvador's Attorney General's Office (FGR) announced on Friday that it had indicted 13 people, including former President Alfredo Cristiani, linked to the murder of six Jesuit priests and two collaborators in 1989.

Salvadoran prosecutor Rodolfo Delgado confirmed that a formal accusation has been filed in the courts of this Central American country against Cristiani (1989-1994), as the alleged mastermind of the massacre of the Jesuits, five of them Spanish.

The assassination of the priests by an Army battalion took place on November 16, 1989 inside the facilities of the Central American University (UCA), in San Salvador, within the framework of the guerrilla offensive called "Hasta el tope."

"This document is part of the efforts being made by the Attorney General's Office to bring to the dock all those responsible for various crimes committed during the period of the armed conflict," said Delgado.

He pointed out that on this occasion "the victims, six Jesuit priests and two Salvadoran women who collaborated with them, were murdered by members of the army."

The FGR "is determined to bring to the dock those responsible for ordering this regrettable and tragic event that occurred during the armed conflict (1980-1992)," he said.  The prosecutor affirmed that within the FGR they are promoting "the search for truth, justice, reparation for the victims and that this type (...) of regrettable events should not be repeated."

In addition to former President Cristiani, 12 other people were accused, including high-ranking military chiefs at the time, such as Generals Juan Rafael Bustillo, Juan Orlando Zepeda, Carlos Camilo Hernández, Nelson Iván López and Joaquin Cerna Flores, among others.

Local media have reported that former president Cristiani has left the country in recent weeks and is reportedly living in Italy.  However, this version has not been confirmed by official sources.