On January 19, the Peace Brigades International-Guatemala Project posted on social media:
“Last Friday [January 16], #PBI observed a hearing to present evidence in the Gerardi case. The defendant, Dario Morales, is accused of perjury and complicity in extrajudicial killings.
After indicating that the defense’s motion to recuse had been rejected, the judge received the evidence presented by the prosecution and the defense.
The next hearing, to open the oral and public debate, will take place at the High Risk Court D.”
Prensa Libre has previously reported:
“Judge Abelina Cruz Toscano, in charge of the High Risk Court D, ruled in a hearing on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, that Darío Morales García face trial for extrajudicial execution in the degree of complicity and false testimony, for his alleged participation in the crime against Monsignor Gerardi, which occurred in April 1998.
On April 28, 2025, security forces reported the capture of Morales, 61, after being deported from Alexandria, Louisiana, USA. According to the authorities, Morales had a valid arrest warrant for being identified in the case of the death of Monsignor Juan José Gerardi, which occurred on April 26, 1998.”
And in September 2025, PBI-Guatemala provided this context:
“In September, significant steps were taken to reopen the case of the 1998 assassination of Monsignor Juan José Gerardi Conedera.
Gerardi was murdered two days after the publication of the Guatemala Never Again report. The report was produced by the Project for the Recovery of Historical Memory (REMHI), spearheaded by Gerardi, who served as auxiliary bishop and coordinator of the Human Rights Office of the Archdiocese of Guatemala (ODHAG) at the time.
In 2001, four people were convicted in connection with this case. According to the Special Prosecutor’s Office, a total of 17 suspects were identified, of whom only five were civilians; the rest were employees of the state.
At that time, the Third Criminal Court determined that Gerardi’s murder was politically motivated because of the publication of the report, which compiled information on human rights violations committed during the internal armed conflict (IAC) in Guatemala.
This information was included in ‘Guatemala: Memory of Silence’, a report published by the Commission for Historical Clarification (CEH) in 1999, which attributed 93% of the human rights violations it documented to state forces.
On September 16, 2025, High Risk Court D sent Darío Morales García, a former specialist with the now-defunct Presidential High Command (EMP), to trial, finding that there was sufficient evidence against him to warrant an oral and public trial.
The court will determine whether or not he participated in Monsignor Gerardi’s murder. Morales García is charged with perjury and conspiracy to commit extrajudicial execution.
According to Judge Abelina Cruz, there is evidence indicating that Morales was at the scene of the crime and may have altered parts of the crime scene in order to cover up for those responsible.
Dario Morales is the fifth person charged with the murder of Monsignor Gerardi. In 2001, three military personnel (Byron Lima Estrada, Byron Lima Oliva, son of the former, and Obdulio Villanueva) and priest Mario Orantes were convicted. Morales was arrested in late April 2025 after being deported from the United States. He was a fugitive and had a warrant out for his arrest since 2014.
The recovery and recognition of historical memory is a fundamental part of the fight against impunity. Monsignor Gerardi accepted this commitment and, in his role as bishop and spiritual leader, promoted the dignity of victims through the REMHI.
He said just that in his speech to present the report in April 1998: ‘We want to contribute to the construction of a different country. That is why we recover the memory of the people. This path was and continues to be full of risks, but the construction of the Kingdom of God has risks and only those who have the strength to face them are its builders.’
The Gerardi case is a national reference point in the search for justice to guarantee non-repetition and the recognition of the state’s responsibility in this terrible chapter of Guatemalan history.”
PBI and Bishop Gerardi
In 1983, Peace Brigades International co-founder Daniel N. Clark met with Bishop Gerardi for an exploratory meeting about PBI (founded in September 1981).
In April 1998, PBI attended the release of the ‘Nunca Mas’ report at the cathedral in Guatemala City. PBI-Guatemala volunteer Marianna Tzabiras, now a member of the PBI-Canada Board of Directors, was there at that time.
On May 4, 1998, just days after the death of Bishop Gerardi, Amy Goodman interviewed PBI activist Liam Mahony about this murder and the situation in Guatemala.
We continue to follow this.
Further reading:
Former EMP agent will face trial for extrajudicial execution of Gerardi (Prensa Comunitaria, May 5, 2025)
The Art of Political Murder (HBO documentary released in 2020 on the murder of Bishop Gerardi).
