Salvadoran Martyrs

A Spanish court has begun an investigation into the murder of six Jesuits (five of them Spanish citizens) and two laywomen in El Salvador in 1989. Although two soldiers were convicted in 1991 for their part in the killings, they were pardoned in 1993. Human rights groups had sought to make the former Salvadoran president, Alfredo Cristiani, part of the new investigation, but the court turned that application down. Should it result in charges against those believed to be involved in the murders, they could face a court in Spain because of an extradition treaty between the two countries. See the Inter Press Service website for background.