The Peace Brigades International-Guatemala Project has posted on social media:
“Yesterday [October 21], #PBIobserves the reading of the verdict in the #Chimaltenango Extrajudicial Executions case. The High-Risk Court B (Tribunal de Mayor Riesgo B) convicted seven former National Civil Police (PNC) officers for the deaths of #Milton Santamaría and #Eldin Choc Xi, which occurred on April 18, 2024, at the police substation in San Andrés Itzapa, Chimaltenango.
For the crime of extrajudicial execution, Edy Vásquez Rabanales (head of the substation) and Fredi Santiago Velásquez Pérez each received a 60-year non-commutable prison sentence (30 years for each victim). Mauricio Abraham Contreras Salán was sentenced to 30 years (non-commutable) for the death of Milton Santamaría and was acquitted regarding the death of Eldin Choc Xi.
The charges against Yuliza Nabely Ayala Yol and Yorleni Macario Ramos were modified to failure to perform official duties (5 years) and discrimination (3 years)—sentences that may be commuted upon payment of Q5 per day. Jeremías Jacobo Rojas Rojas was convicted of abuse of authority (5 years) and illegal detention (3 years)—also commutable at a rate of Q5 per day—and was acquitted of the charge of failure to provide assistance. Ángel Mario Roquel Sajbochol was convicted of obstruction of criminal proceedings (5 years) and failure to perform official duties (5 years, commutable), and was fined Q1,000 for failing to report a crime; he was acquitted of the charge of failure to provide assistance. All those convicted have been disqualified from holding public office for the duration of their sentences.
The State of Guatemala was acquitted.
The court established that the officers lied to evade institutional oversight and to conceal the torture and execution. The case—denounced as a hate crime based on the victims’ sexual orientation—represents one of the first convictions for an extrajudicial execution to occur since the signing of the Peace Accords. The hearing on dignified reparation will be held on Friday, October 23, starting at 8:30.”
Image of Milton (left) and Eldin (right) from Cristosal Centroamérica.
Canadian citizen killed
During the trial, the Embassy of Canada in Guatemala posted on social media:
“Representatives from the Embassy of Canada are awaiting the verdict in the case of Canadian citizen Milton Santamaría. The evidence highlighted violence motivated by prejudice and hatred. Hate crimes have no place in democratic and inclusive societies.
We recognize the importance of accountability, access to justice, and the protection of human rights for all individuals.”
Photo of courtroom by Embassy of Canada.
Agence France-Presse additionally reports: “A Guatemalan court has sentenced seven former police officers to up to 60 years in prison over the ‘extrajudicial execution’ of a gay couple, killings denounced by human rights groups as a hate crime. …Choc, who was Guatemalan, and Santamaria, who was Salvadoran-Canadian, had reportedly been arrested over an altercation in a shop. The police reported the couple as having died in a traffic accident. Santamaria’s body was taken to a hospital, while Choc’s remains were found days later in a ravine with one hand mutilated.”
That article adds: “Several activists gathered outside the courthouse holding banners with the slogan: ‘Homophobia kills’. There were around 30 violent deaths of LGBTQ people in Guatemala last year, according to the Lambda Association, a Guatemalan human rights group. Hate crime is not defined under Guatemalan law.”
A hate crime against LGBT people
During the trial, Presentes had reported: “The police brutality against Eldin Choc Xi, an indigenous Q’eqchi’ Maya man, and Milton Santamaría, a Salvadoran-Canadian, occurred within a context of profound vulnerability in Guatemala. The country’s legal and institutional framework lacks even the most basic tools for protection against bias-motivated violence. In Guatemala there are also no specific laws against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, nor is same-sex marriage or registered gender identity recognized.”
“A ruling that recognizes hate against LGBT people would set a historic precedent in Guatemala. It would also break a long history of impunity, becoming the first case in which a hate crime against LGBT+ people perpetrated by state agents is prosecuted.”
That article also noted: “The central demand is that the judges recognize that the couple’s sexual orientation was a determining factor in the torture and murder. A ruling that recognizes hate against LGBT people would set a historic precedent in Guatemala. It would break a long history of impunity and become “the first case in which a hate crime committed by state forces is prosecuted” in Guatemala, says Jovanna García. Since it was handed down in a High Risk Court, which specializes in judging crimes committed by public officials and high-impact cases, the ruling can help promote future legislative reforms in the Penal Code that allow hate crimes to be classified in the country and guarantee non-repetition.”
The Associated Press reports: “Henry Choc Xi, Eldin Choc’s brother, said at a press conference [on Thursday October 22] that they hoped the court would include in its sentence that it was a hate crime because the family considers it so. ‘For the family, the main thing is that the memory of Eldin and Milton remains and that their death is an example not to be repeated,’ he said. Sheila Arana, one of the lawyers for the families of the victims, stressed that the sentence is historic because it recognizes that the crime was committed out of prejudice against the couple.”
eP investiga notes: “The [Mexico-based human rights] organization Visibles highlighted the sentence issued by the Court, but questioned why hate crimes are not yet classified in Guatemala. ‘Today, a judgment was given in the case of Eldin and Milton, but it remains vacuum. In Guatemala, hate crimes or crimes of prejudice are not criminalized,’ the organization said. In view of this, they indicated that as long as it is not named that homophobia drove this crime, there will be no real justice for the victims, nor will there be routes to stop this type of violent acts.”
We continue to follow this.
Additional reading
–Guatemala: Seven former police officers sentenced to up to 60 years in prison for homophobic murder of gay couple (Stop Homophobie, October 22, 2026)
–Guatemalan police officers found guilty of execution of gay couple (Diario de Centro América, October 22, 2026)
–Court convicts former police officers for the execution of Nelson Santamaría and Eldin Choc (Prensa Libre, October 21, 2026)
–Court convicts seven police officers for the torture and death of Eldin Choc and Milton Santamaría (eP investiga, October 21, 2026)
–Why the trial for the murder of Eldin and Milton could be historic for Guatemala’s LGBT community (Presentes, October 16, 2024).
