Civil War and Transitional Justice in Central America: The Case of El Salvador
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46502/issn.2792-3681/2025.9.4Keywords:
El Salvador, transitional justice, civil war, truth and justice, historical memoryAbstract
The consequences of the civil war in El Salvador were devastating for the civilian population, especially for rural communities, women, children, and organized groups such as trade unionists, students, and religious groups. Throughout the conflict, serious human rights violations were documented, including massacres, forced disappearances, torture, and mass displacement. Given this historical reality, using a documentary methodology, the objective of this article is to analyze the transitional justice process in El Salvador, evaluating both its achievements and its limitations more than three decades after the signing of the Peace Accords. In conclusion, it must be recognized that transitional justice has clear limits. It cannot completely reverse the damage caused or satisfy all the victims' demands for truth and justice. Its success depends on specific political, material, and ideological conditions, and it often faces resistance from those in power.
Furthermore, realistically speaking, judicial processes tend to be selective and fail to cover all the crimes committed, which generates frustration and mistrust among the public.
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