Carlos Mauricio
Encyclopedia
Carlos Mauricio was a professor of Agricultural Sciences at the University of El Salvador
until his extrajudicial kidnapping by Salvadoran death squad
s in June 1983. He was tortured by the military under the command of then Minister of Defense, General Carlos Eugenio Vides Casanova. On his release, he fled to the U.S.
, where his first job was as a dishwasher. He learned English and earned a graduate Certificate in Molecular Genetics
, a teaching credential and an MA in Adult Education. In 2002, supported by the Center for Justice and Accountability
, he won a lawsuit against General Vides Casanova for Casanova's command responsibility in Mauricio's kidnapping and torture. Mauricio was awarded significant punitive and compensatory damages against Vides Casanova. Vides Casanova is one of many Salvadoran human rights abusers with links to the notorious School of the Americas at Fort Benning, Georgia, and in 1985 was a guest speaker at the school.
Since the trial, Professor Mauricio has devoted his time to human rights advocacy. In March 2006, he was part of a School of the Americas Watch
delegation to Bolivia
, Uruguay
and Argentina
. The delegation, headed by Father Roy Bourgeois
, successfully persuaded the Ministers of Defense of all three countries to commit to stop sending troops to the School of the Americas (a.k.a. Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation
). Also in 2006, he visited Peru, Chile and Ecuador and met with Ministers of Defense and Presidential candidates in an attempt to persuade them to stop sending troops to the School of the Americas and successfully persuaded the Chilean government to do so. In 2007, he visited Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala on a similar mission, but these governments have yet to agree to stop sending troops.
For several consecutive years, Professor Mauricio drove across country with a group of torture survivors and anti-torture activists to the annual vigil at the School of the Americas speaking to peace and anti-torture organizations along the way. Professor Mauricio's memoir (or testimonio) is due to be published in Fall 2011. He currently runs an annual course in Salvadoran Human Rights and History at the University of San Salvador and is working to overthrow the post-Peace Accords amnesty as well as to establish a Museum of Historical Memory in the former headquarters of the National Police, where he was tortured.
University of El Salvador
The University of El Salvador or Universidad de El Salvador is the oldest and one of the most prominent university institutions in El Salvador. It serves as the national university of the country...
until his extrajudicial kidnapping by Salvadoran death squad
Death squad
A death squad is an armed military, police, insurgent, or terrorist squad that conducts extrajudicial killings, assassinations, and forced disappearances of persons as part of a war, insurgency or terror campaign...
s in June 1983. He was tortured by the military under the command of then Minister of Defense, General Carlos Eugenio Vides Casanova. On his release, he fled to the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where his first job was as a dishwasher. He learned English and earned a graduate Certificate in Molecular Genetics
Molecular genetics
Molecular genetics is the field of biology and genetics that studies the structure and function of genes at a molecular level. The field studies how the genes are transferred from generation to generation. Molecular genetics employs the methods of genetics and molecular biology...
, a teaching credential and an MA in Adult Education. In 2002, supported by the Center for Justice and Accountability
Center for Justice and Accountability
The Center for Justice and Accountability is a non-profit international human rights organization based in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1998, CJA represents survivors of torture and other grave human rights abuses in cases against individual rights violators before U.S. and Spanish courts...
, he won a lawsuit against General Vides Casanova for Casanova's command responsibility in Mauricio's kidnapping and torture. Mauricio was awarded significant punitive and compensatory damages against Vides Casanova. Vides Casanova is one of many Salvadoran human rights abusers with links to the notorious School of the Americas at Fort Benning, Georgia, and in 1985 was a guest speaker at the school.
Since the trial, Professor Mauricio has devoted his time to human rights advocacy. In March 2006, he was part of a School of the Americas Watch
School of the Americas Watch
School of the Americas Watch is an advocacy organization founded by Maryknoll Father Roy Bourgeois and a small group of supporters in 1990 to protest the training of mainly Latin American military officers, by the United States Department of Defense, at the School of the Americas...
delegation to Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
, Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
and Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. The delegation, headed by Father Roy Bourgeois
Roy Bourgeois
Roy Bourgeois is an American activist. He was ordained a priest in the Maryknoll order of the Roman Catholic Church and is founder of the human rights group SOA Watch or the School of the Americas Watch....
, successfully persuaded the Ministers of Defense of all three countries to commit to stop sending troops to the School of the Americas (a.k.a. Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation
Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation
The Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation , formerly the United States Army School of the Americas is a United States Department of Defense educational and training facility at Fort Benning near Columbus, Georgia in the United States...
). Also in 2006, he visited Peru, Chile and Ecuador and met with Ministers of Defense and Presidential candidates in an attempt to persuade them to stop sending troops to the School of the Americas and successfully persuaded the Chilean government to do so. In 2007, he visited Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala on a similar mission, but these governments have yet to agree to stop sending troops.
For several consecutive years, Professor Mauricio drove across country with a group of torture survivors and anti-torture activists to the annual vigil at the School of the Americas speaking to peace and anti-torture organizations along the way. Professor Mauricio's memoir (or testimonio) is due to be published in Fall 2011. He currently runs an annual course in Salvadoran Human Rights and History at the University of San Salvador and is working to overthrow the post-Peace Accords amnesty as well as to establish a Museum of Historical Memory in the former headquarters of the National Police, where he was tortured.