On August 15, DPLF held a workshop on international crimes for judges in El Salvador, in coordination with FESPAD and the country’s Training School of the National Judicial Council (Escuela de Capacitacion Judicial del Consejo de la Judicatura) . Opening remarks were delivered by Tito Edmundo Zelada, Chairman of the National Judicial Council, and Leonor Arteaga, program officer for DPLF. The workshop counted with the participation of about 40 criminal judges who received copies of Volume I and II of the Digest of Latin American Jurisprudence on International Crimes.

Throughout their presentations, experts Ximena Medellin and Naomi Roht -Arriaza explained that, in application of international law, there is no legal obstacle for the prosecution of international crimes committed during the armed conflict in El Salvador. This is because the amnesty law and statute of limitations should not be applied or should be interpreted as according to the state’s obligations regarding human rights. Therefore, Salvadoran judges have a clear path to process international crime as have done many countries of the region. Furthermore, the speakers discussed the need to strengthen competency of argument as a way to increase independence, and highlighted the role of judges as guarantors of human rights.