Guatemala Sentences Former Police Officers in Gay Couple's Killings
Authorities said officers beat, tortured and killed two men in a case that drew hate-crime allegations from rights groups.
- On Wednesday, a court sentenced former police chief Edy Vasquez to 60 years in prison for his role in the 2024 torture and killing of Eldin Choc and Milton Santamaria at a San Andres Itzapa police station.
- Officers beat and tortured the couple in April 2024 while directing "homophobic remarks" at them; police later reported the deaths as a traffic accident, and two firefighters previously confessed to helping cover up the incident.
- Judge Maria Castellanos sentenced another officer to 60 years and a third to 30 years for committing "extrajudicial execution," while two female former officers received 11-year terms for discrimination.
- Henry Choc, brother of Eldin, told reporters he felt "satisfied" with the outcome, adding that "justice has been served." Plaintiff Abraham Abrego, legal director of Cristosal, stated the ruling was crucial to ensure prejudice-motivated crimes do not go unpunished.
- Amnesty International noted the case adds to many hate crimes against LGBTQ people in Guatemala, where around 30 violent deaths occurred last year. Activists gathered outside the courthouse protesting that hate crime remains undefined under Guatemalan law.
27 Articles
27 Articles
Guatemala sentences former police officers in gay couple's killings
A Guatemalan court has sentenced seven former police officers to up to 60 years in prison over the "extrajudicial execution" of a gay couple, killings denounced by human rights groups as a hate crime.
The family of one of the two men killed by policemen in 2024 requested on Thursday that the court which convicted several officers acknowledge that it was a hate crime because the victims were a couple.
A Guatemalan court has sentenced seven former police officers to up to 60 years in prison for the extrajudicial killing of a gay couple. Learn the details of the case.
Seven former Guatemalan police officers were sentenced to up to 60 years in prison for the murder of a homosexual couple in April 2024. Marked by violence and homophobic speech, this...
On April 18, 2024, Guatemalan Eldin Choc, 28, and his partner Milton Santamaria, 45, were arrested in the Mayan municipality of San Andrés Itzapa, in the west of the country, allegedly for an altercation in a store. Security agents took them to the town police station, where under prejudices and "homofóbic expressions" they were beaten, tortured and executed, prosecutor Marco Escobar explained to the AFP. "It's a bit despicable," said Judge Marí…
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