The Peace Brigades International-Guatemala Project has posted on social media:
“Yesterday [Friday October 23, 2026], #PBIobserved the hearing on ‘dignified reparation’ regarding the #ChimaltenangoExtrajudicialExecutions case—involving #MiltonSantamaría and #EldinChocXi—at the San Andrés Itzapa police substation in Chimaltenango on April 18, 2024.
High-Risk Court B ordered a payment of approximately Q225,000, to be contributed by the seven individuals convicted of the crime, as compensation for the economic and moral damages suffered by the plaintiffs (the victims’ family members). Furthermore, the director of the National Civil Police (PNC) must issue a public apology to the people of San Andrés Itzapa, and a plaque bearing the names of the victims and an explanation of their deaths must be installed at the PNC academy.
Plaza Publica further reports: The lawyers for the police officers convicted of the murder of Eldin and Milton oppose the economic compensation requested by @MPguatemala and @Cristosal for the Choc and Santamaría families, for Q950 thousand and Q297 thousand, respectively. They argue that the agents have been out of the PNC for two years and that they do not have sufficient resources to pay.”
Emisoras Unidas reports: “The ‘B’ High Risk Court ruled in the dignified reparation hearing that the 7 agents sentenced for the deaths of Eldin Choc and Milton Santamaría must pay proportionally more than Q500,000 distributed for the harm to Alberto Santamaría, Henry Choc, and the grandmother of the Choc brothers.”
Plaza Publica also posted a short video with the text: “As part of the reparation measures ordered in the ruling, the High Risk Court B holds a minute of silence for the extrajudicial executions of Eldin Choc and Milton Santamaría. The seven police officers convicted for these crimes participate in the act.”
‘A demand that remains’
The Guatemala periodical Ruda comments: “While the convictions represent progress, one important demand remains: the legal recognition of hate and prejudice-motivated crimes. In Guatemala, these are not classified as specific crimes when they are motivated by the sexual orientation or gender identity of the victims. For this reason, the judgment also opened space to reflect on the need to strengthen laws and protection mechanisms, as well as to recognize the responsibility of State institutions in the face of violence exercised by their agents.”
Ruda concludes: “The conviction of the seven former police officers represents a significant moment for Guatemalan society in the search for justice for Eldin and Milton. But it also leaves important pending in terms of recognition of violence motivated by prejudice, protection of human rights and responsibility of public institutions.”
We continue to follow this.
Further reading
–PBI-Guatemala observes sentencing of seven police officers convicted in the homophobic killing of Canadian and Q’eqchi’ Maya couple (PBI-Canada, October 23, 2026)
–Social media post from the Embassy of Canada in Guatemala (October 21, 2026).
