José Guillermo García
José Guillermo García (born 25 June 1933) is a former general of the military of El Salvador and was minister of defense of the Revolutionary Government Junta of El Salvador between the years 1979 and 1983.[1]
Brigadier General José Guillermo García | |
|---|---|
General José Guillermo García | |
| Minister of National Defense | |
| In office 15 October 1979 – April 1983 | |
| President | Revolutionary Government Junta (until 1982) Álvaro Magaña (from 1982) |
| Preceded by | Federico Castillo Yanes |
| Succeeded by | Carlos Eugenio Vides Casanova |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 25 June 1933 San Vicente, El Salvador |
| Occupation | Military |
| Known for | Human rights violations |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | El Salvador |
| Branch/service | Salvadoran Army |
| Rank | Brigadier General |
| Battles/wars | 1979 Salvadoran coup d'état Salvadoran Civil War |
Emigration to United States edit
He emigrated to the United States in 1989, were lived until January 2016 when was deported to El Salvador.
Lawsuit cases edit
He was sued, along with Carlos Eugenio Vides Casanova, in the United States district court in West Palm Beach[2] in two precedent-setting legal actions:
- Ford v. Garcia, a lawsuit by the families of four Catholic churchwomen, including two Maryknoll Sisters of St. Dominic, who were murdered by a Salvadoran military death squad on 2 December 1980. Garcia's defense won the case, and the families appealed. Their appeal was denied, and in 2003, the United States Supreme Court refused to hear further proceedings.
- Ramagoza v. Garcia, a lawsuit filed by the Center for Justice and Accountability on behalf of survivors of torture during the Salvadoran Civil War. Garcia lost, and a judgment of over $54 million (U.S.) was entered against him and his co-defendant, and upheld on appeal.[3][4]
Deportation to El Salvador edit
Guillermo Garcia and General Vides Casanova had been undergoing a deportation process since 1999.[5] The Department of Homeland Security later charged Garcia in 2009 with participating or assisting in torture and extrajudicial killings during his tenure as Minister of Defense.[5] His attorney Alina Cruz argued that he could not be deported on those grounds because he was already exonerated of those charges in the landmark case Ford vs. Garcia when a jury found that he was not in control of his troops. It was determined in 1998 that Garcia's co-defendant General Vides Casanova and Casanova's cousin Col. Oscar Edgardo Casanova Vejar, the local military commander in Zacatecoluca, had planned and orchestrated the executions of the four North American churchwomen.[6]
On 12 April 2014, an immigration court judge ruled against Garcia and called for his deportation.[7] On 16 December 2015, it was announced that an immigration appeals court upheld the decision to deport Garcia.[8] Garcia's attorney afterwards said they both plan to appeal the decision to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta, Georgia.[1]
On 8 January 2016, American immigration officials deported General Garcia back to El Salvador.[9][10]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b . Miami Herald. Archived from the original on 2015-12-26.
- ^ Washington Post 17 August 2003 The Case Against the Generals
- ^ Gonzales, David (24 July 2002). "Torture Victims in El Salvador Are Awarded $54 Million". New York Times (24 July 2002).
- ^ "El Salvador Generals Guilty of Torture". BBC News. 2002-07-23. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
- ^ a b "U.S. Court: Removal of General Garcia – CJA".
- ^ Larry Rother (3 April 1998). "4 Salvadorans Say They Killed U.S. Nuns on Orders of Military". New York Times. p. 2. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
- ^ Preston, Julia (12 April 2014). "Salvadoran General Accused in Killings Should be Deported, Miami Judge Says". The New York Times.
- ^ Preston, Julia (17 December 2015). "Deportation of Former Salvadoran Official is Upheld". The New York Times.
- ^ Preston, Julia (9 January 2016). "Florida: Ex-Leader of Salvadoran Military Deported". The New York Times.
- ^ . Archived from the original on 2016-02-01. Retrieved 2016-01-25.