| 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. (UNTCRES) |
| 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 ultimately included the priests' housekeeper and her teen-age daughter. (UNTCRES) |
| CPT Eduardo Ernesto Alfonso Avila | 1967, Cadet Orientation Course | Sheraton Hotel murders, 1981: Planned and ordered
the assassination of 3 labor union leaders. Romero assassination, 1980: Planned and ordered the assassination of beloved Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero on March 24, 1980. (UNTCRES) |
| 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, (UNTCRES) |
| 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. (UNTCRES) |
| 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.
(UNTCRES) Lake Suchitlan massacre, 1983: Commanded the Atlacatl battalion in the massacre of 117 people. (USACFPC) Los Llanitos massacre, 1984: Commanded the Atlacatl battalion in the massacre of 68 people, most of whom were under age 14. (USACFPC) |
| MAJ Mauricio de Jesús Beltran Granados | 1987, Small Unit Administration Instruction | San Sebastian massacre, 1988: Ordered the needless murder of 10 prisoners and participated in the cover-up. (UNTCRES) |
| 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. (AW:AMSF) |
| GEN Juan Rafael Bustillo | 1965, Counterinsurgency Orientation | Jesuit massacre, 1989: Planned and covered-up the
massacre of 6 priests, their housekeeper and her daughter.
(UNTCRES) 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, (AP, 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 (AI:TU) |
| MAJ Natividad de Jesús 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. (UNTCRES) |
| SOT Mario Canizales Espinoza | 1982, Patrol Course | Dutch journalist murders, 1982: Led the squad that carried out the ambush against 3 unarmed Dutch journalists. (UNTCRES) |
| 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. (USACFPC, 4/25/90) |
| GEN Oscar Edgardo Casanova Vejar | 1963, Engineer Officer Course | Murder of U.S. churchwomen, 1980: Planned and covered-up the rape and murder of three U.S. nuns and a Catholic layworker. (UNTCRES) |
| COL José 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. (UNTCRES) |
| COL Alejandro Cisneros | 1974, Command and General Staff College | El Mozote massacre, 1981: Commanded a non-
Atlacatl company that participated in the massacre. El Junquillo massacre, 1981: Failed to investigate the massacre of women and children in El Junquillo. (UNTCRES) |
| 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. 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. (UNTCRES) |
| 1LT Francisco Del Cid Díaz | 1991, Combat Arms Officer Adv. Course 1988, Infantry Officer Basic Course |
Las Hojas massacre, 1983: One of two officers in charge of the massacre of 16 civilians. (UNTCRES) |
| 1LT José 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. (UNTCRES) |
| COL Francisco Elena Fuentes | 1985-1986, Guest Instructor 1973, Officer Supply Course |
Jesuit massacre, 1989: Planned and covered-up the
massacre. (UNTCRES) 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." (NYT, 12/13/93) |
| CPT José Fuentes Rodas | 1986, Combat Arms Officer Course 1980, Cadet Orientation |
Jesuit massacre, 1989: Planned and covered up the massacre. (UNTCRES) |
| 1LT Francisco M. Gallardo Mata | 1992, Combat Operations Course 1990, Combat Arms Officer Adv. Course |
Jesuit massacre, 1989: Planned and covered-up the massacre. (UNTCRES) |
| 1LT Manuel de Jesús Galvez Galvez | 1986, Psychological Operations Course | San Sebastian massacre, 1998: Covered-up of the murder of 10 civilian prisoners. (UNTCRES) |
| GEN José Guillermo García | 1962, Counterinsurgency Course | El Mozote massacre, 1981: Then-defense minister
García 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: García 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. (UNTCRES) Later granted residency in the U.S. |
| COL José Mario Godinez Castillo | 1968, Cadet Course | 1,051 summary executions, 318 tortures, 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. (CISPES) |
| 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. (USACFPC) |
| 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. (UNTCRES) |
| 1LT José V. Hernández 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. (UNTCRES) |
| LTC Carlos Camillio Hernández 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. (UNTCRES) |
| CPT José Alfredo Jiménez | 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. (UNTCRES) |
| 1LT Ramón E. Lopez Larios | 1992, Combat Arms Officer Adv. Course 1988, Infantry Officer Basic Course |
Jesuit massacre, 1989: Planned and covered-up the massacre. (UNTCRES) |
| 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. (UNTCRES) |
| 1LT Rodolfo Isidro Lopez Sibrian | 1974, Combat Arms/Support Services | Sheraton Hotel murders, 1983: Planned and covered-
up the murder of 3 labor union leaders. (UNTCRES) 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. (DOSRS) |
| COL Nelson Lopez y Lopez | 1968, Cadet Course | Jesuit massacre, 1989: Assigned to investigate the massacre, he instead participated in the cover-up. (UNTCRES) |
| COL Dionisio Ismael Machuca | 1984, Joint Operations Course | 318 torture 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. (CISPES) |
| 1LT Edgar Santiago Martínez 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. (UNTCRES) |
| CPT Carlos Napolian Medina Garay | 1970, Cadet Course | El Junquillo massacre, 1981: Commander of the unit which burnt crops, raped women and children (many under the age of 12), and murdered them. (UNTCRES) |
| CPT Juan Ernesto Mendez Rodríguez | 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. (UNTCRES) |
| 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. (UNTCRES) |
| 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. (UNTCRES) |
| 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. (UNTCRES) |
| 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. (UNTCRES) |
| LTC Mario Denis Moran Echeverria | 1967, Tactical Officer, Cadet Course | Sheraton Hotel murders, 1981: On January 3, 1981, members of the National Guard murdered 3 labor union leaders at the Sheraton Hotel in San Salvador. Moran Echeverria was part of the cover-up. (UNTCRES) |
| CPT Oscar Armando Peña Duran | 1986, Combat Arms Officer Course | Major Human Rights Violations, 1993-94: As Deputy
Director of El Salvador's National Civilian Police, Peña
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. Peña 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.
Peña Duran resigned in May 1994 under intense pressure
from many quarters, including that of the United States.
(HRWWR96) San Sebastian massacre, 1988: Knew of the intent to murder 10 civilian prisoners, and cooperated with the cover-up. (UNTCRES) |
| LTC Gustavo Perdomo Hernández | 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. (AP, 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. (UNTCRES) |
| 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. (NYT, 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. (UNTCRES) |
| 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. (DOSRS) |
| 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. (UNTCRES) |
| LTC Rene Rodríguez Hurtado | 1985, Combat Officer Review | Torture, rape. murder of French nurse, 1989: In April 1995, a French court issued international arrest warrants for Rodríguez 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) |
| LTC José Antonio Rodríguez Molina | 1972, Combat Arms/Support Services | San Sebastian massacre, 1988: Could have prevented the killing of 10 civilian prisoners, but did nothing. (UNTCRES) |
| GEN Gilberto Rubio | 1976, Logistics Management Course 1971, Tactical Officer for 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. (UNTCRES) |
| 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. (UNTCRES) |
| 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. (UNTCRES) |
| 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. (DOSRS) |
| COL Luis Mariano Turcios | 1966, Parachute Rigger Course | San Sebastian massacre, 1988: Could have prevented the murder of 10 civilians, but did not. (UNTCRES) |
| COL Carlos Eugenio Vides Casanova | 1985, Guest Speaker | Murder of U.S. churchwomen, 1980: Ordered the
assassination of 3 U.S. nuns and a Catholic lay-worker.
(UNTCRES) 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.
(UNTCRES) 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. (CISPES) |
| 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. (UNTCRES) |
Information researched by Vicky Imerman.