Carlos Mauricio

In 1983 Carlos Mauricio was a biology professor in El Salvador when he was kidnapped and tortured for nearly two weeks at the National Police Headquarters. On his release, he fled to the United States, where he now lives. In 1999, despite fear of reprisals, and despite the horror of revisiting his torture, Carlos joined two other torture survivors in a lawsuit against two Salvadoran generals living in Florida. In 2002, a jury found these generals responsible for the plaintiffs' torture, under the doctrine of "command responsibility." Carlos now speaks out internationally against torture and impunity. He believes that he speaks for the many thousands who died in the torture chambers, and that seeking justice for human rights abuses can help end impunity, or lack of accountability, in El Salvador and around the world. His new organization, Stop Impunity, helps torture survivors, especially Salvadorans, deal with their trauma and speak out against their torturers.