Judge: Ex-Salvadoran colonel can face charges in Spain
Source: Associated Press
Judge: Ex-Salvadoran colonel can face charges in Spain
Feb 5, 3:44 PM EST
By JONATHAN DREW
Associated Press
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- A judge cleared the way Friday for a former Salvadoran colonel to face charges in Spain that he helped plan the 1989 slayings of six Jesuit priests during El Salvador's civil war - a notorious crime that prompted international outrage.
The approval of extradition for Inocente Orlando Montano Morales marks a significant step in efforts to prosecute high-level Salvadoran military officials on charges of murdering the priests, most of whom were Spanish natives. Montano has been the only one within reach of Spanish authorities because of legal issues in El Salvador where most of them still live.
Federal Magistrate Judge Kimberly Swank ordered that U.S. Marshals take custody of Montano so he can be turned over to Spain, pending final approval by State Department. The step is largely seen as a formality because lawyers for the diplomatic agency already reviewed the case before turning it over to federal prosecutors.
"In short, the government's evidence shows (Montano) was a decision-maker and member of a group of officers who collectively ordered the unlawful killings of Jesuit priests," Swank wrote.
Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_JESUIT_MASSACRE_PROSECUTION?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-02-05-14-14-02
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Inocente Orlando Montano Morales [/center]
