Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Reuters
Reuters
Politics

El Salvador court frees Army officer behind Jesuit massacre

FILE PHOTO: Guillermo Alfredo Benavides, who is part of 17 former military personnel accused of killing six Jesuit priests in 1989, waits in court to be notified of Spanish judge Eloy Velasco's request to extradite to Spain, in San Salvador, El Salvador April 28, 2016. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas/File Photo

A Salvadoran court released a retired high-ranking Army officer convicted of ordering the massacre of six Roman Catholic priests belonging to the Jesuit order during the brutal peak of the country's civil war decades ago, his lawyer said on Monday.

The ruling ordered the release of Colonel Guillermo Benavides because of his age and because he completed a third of his sentence in October, according to his lawyer David Campos.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.