| El Salvador
Army Is Sued in SDNY for Torture &
Crimes Against Humanity, Gets More Delay
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Patreon
BBC
- Guardian
UK - Honduras
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SDNY COURTHOUSE,
August 17 – Jose
Amilcar Choto Pleitez has sued
El Salvador and a slew of
military figures, for torture,
extrajudicial killings and
other crimes against
humanity.
The lawsuit
was filed in the U.S. District
Court for the Southern
District of New York, where it
was found in the docket by
Inner City Press which covers
the SDNY, in exile from the UN
which is increasingly inactive
on such crimes.
Jose Amilcar
Choto Pleitez now lives in
Tennessee. He states that his
son was abducted by the El
Salvador Armed Forces and
presumed tortured and killed
on February 18, 2014.
Also named
in the complaint are former
Minister of Defense General
Deavid Munguia Payes, Sergeant
Santo Manuel Coreto Ramirez of
the Sixth Military Detachment
and five soldiers.
The case
was assigned to District Judge
Paul G. Gardephe; a May 20
initial conference was
scheduled.
The plaintiffs on
May 12 wrote seeking to
postpone the conference, and
filed an amended complaint.
On October 19
they wrote again, to postpone
the October 21 conference,
saying they've hired a law
firm in El Salvador to effect
service, which they say will
take two months. On October 20
Judge Gardephe moved the
initial pre-trial conference
to March 24, 2022.
Now in August
2022, facing an August 22
deadline to response, El
Salvador hired Arnold &
Porter Kaye Scholer LLP and
asked for an extension to
September 21. Counsel for the
plaintiff opposed it, saying
El Salvador neglected the
matter and should not be given
more time.
On August 17,
Judge Gardephe ruled: "MEMO
ENDORSEMENT on re: [36] Letter
filed by National Civil
Police, Republic of El
Salvador, ENDORSEMENT: The
Application is granted. SO
ORDERED (Signed by Judge Paul
G. Gardephe on 8/17/2022)
Armed Forces of El Salvador,
Armed Forces of El Salvador
answer due 9/21/2022; National
Civil Police answer due
9/21/2022; Republic of El
Salvador answer due 9/21/2022.
Inner City Press will stay on
the case.
The case is Choto
Pleitez v. Republic of El
Salvador, 21-cv-1424
(Gardephe).
***
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