Guatemala has handed some of its most severe prison terms to former law-enforcement officers after a court found them guilty of an extrajudicial execution motivated by homophobia. The verdict, delivered on a Wednesday, marks a rare moment of accountability in a country where hate-based violence against LGBTQ people often goes unpunished.
The victims were Eldin Choc, 28, a Guatemalan citizen, and Milton Santamaria, 45, a Salvadoran-Canadian dual national. In April 2024 the pair were detained following a minor dispute inside a local shop in the town of San Andrés Itzapa. Instead of a routine booking, the men were taken to a police station where officers allegedly shouted homophobic remarks, beat them repeatedly, and subjected them to torture before ending their lives.
The April 2024 killings and the attempted cover-up
According to the prosecution, the men were stripped of any legal safeguards and held in a detention cell while the officers inflicted brutal injuries. Santamaria’s body was later taken to a hospital, where medical staff noted signs of severe trauma. Choc’s remains were discovered days later in a remote ravine, his hand mutilated, suggesting a deliberate attempt to hide evidence.
Police initially issued a false narrative, claiming the two had died in a traffic accident. The deception extended beyond the force itself: two firefighters later confessed that, under pressure from police, they helped transport Santamaria to the hospital while knowing he was already dead. Both firefighters have since been sentenced to one and three years in prison for their role in the cover-up.
Sentencing details and individual culpability
The presiding judge, Maria Castellanos, described the incident as “despicable” and imposed a series of staggered punishments. Former police chief Edy Vasquez received the maximum term of 60 years. A second male officer was handed an identical 60-year sentence, while a third former officer was sentenced to 30 years for committing an extrajudicial execution.
Two female ex-officers were each sentenced to 11 years for dereliction of duty and discrimination after they directed the homophobic slurs that preceded the violence. The remaining two defendants received eight- and ten-year terms for a blend of charges that included unlawful detention, abuse of authority, obstruction of justice, and further dereliction of duty.
Reactions, human-rights context and legal implications
Human-rights organisations immediately hailed the verdict as a landmark step. Representatives from Amnesty International and several Guatemalan NGOs issued a joint statement calling the case “another stark example of hate-driven violence against LGBTQ people in Guatemala.” The Lambda Association, a local advocacy group, reported roughly 30 violent deaths of LGBTQ individuals in the previous year, underscoring the urgency of legal reform.
“Justice has been served,” said Henry Choc, the brother of Eldin Choc, expressing a mix of relief and sorrow. Abraham Abrego, legal director of the human-rights group Cristosal and a plaintiff in the case, added that the convictions sent a clear message that “crimes motivated by prejudice will not go unpunished.” Activists gathered outside the courthouse bearing banners proclaiming “Homophobia kills,” a slogan that captured the broader societal outcry.
Despite the high-profile convictions, Guatemala still lacks a statutory definition of hate crime, a legal gap that complicates prosecution of bias-motivated offenses. Rights advocates argue that the court’s decision, while a significant victory, should catalyze legislative action to embed hate-crime protections into the national penal code.
