Inocente Orlando Montano has been charged with lying under oath and making false statements on immigration forms in Massachusetts. Montano was a colonel in the Salvadoran armed forces allegedly involved in the murders of six Jesuits, their housekeeper, and daughter at the University of Central America in November 1989. He was arrested outside Boston in August. No trial date has been set.
Montano might eventually go to trial and serve a prison sentence. On the other hand, the US might just be using the time to see what happens in El Salvador and Spain before deciding what to do next.
In another important case, a Canadian immigration judge is hearing arguments as to whether Jose Orantes Sosa should be extradited to the United States. Sosa is wanted in the US for lying on his immigration paperwork years ago.
However, Sosa is alleged to have participated in the massacre of 200-plus men, women and children at Dos Erres, Guatemala in 1982. A Guatemalan man who is now a Canadian citizen and whose entire family was killed in the massacre is asking the immigration judge to reject the US' extradition request so that Sosa can be tried in Canada. Activists are also calling on the Canadian government to bring charges against Sosa for his involvement in the massacre.
I'm not in favor of having Sosa extradited to the U.S. He should be extradited to Guatemala and have his day in court. If Guatemala is unwilling or unable to prosecute Sosa, then try him in Canada. Granted I understand that we don't know what's going to happen under the new president in Guatemala. Canada would probably also have to revoke his Canadian citizenship. But given that several other Dos Erres suspects have already been found guilty, it's hard to make the argument that he'll just walk free should he (at some point) be extradited to Guatemala.
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