The trial of nine Salvadoran Civil War veterans and a communications volunteer from the Alliance for a Peaceful El Salvador, scheduled to begin on August 11, has been postponed until September 7–10, further prolonging more than two years of pretrial detention in a case already marked by serious due process violations.

The First Tribunal Against Organized Crime suspended the hearing after claiming that technical problems prevented a virtual connection with La Occidental prison in Santa Ana, where the defendants are being held. The failure meant that the defendants could not appear before the court and that their attorneys were unable to communicate with them, verify their health conditions, or request a review of their continued detention.

After more than two years of political imprisonment, the postponement is especially alarming given the deteriorating health of several defendants and the inadequate medical attention they have received while in state custody.

Lourdes Palacios, spokesperson for the Committee of Families of Political Prisoners and Persecuted Persons of El Salvador (COFAPPES), denounced the court’s decision: “It is irresponsible for the court to be delaying the case. We have to consider that the compañeros imprisoned in Santa Ana are in delicate health. Pepe [José Santos Melara] has diabetes, and Luis Menjívar has a carcinoma, putting their physical integrity at risk. And not having a determination of their innocence leaves their families in a state of uncertainty.”

Atilio Montalvo, a key negotiator of the 1992 Peace Accords, appeared at the courthouse in a wheelchair. Because of his serious health condition, Montalvo is the only defendant currently facing the proceedings outside of prison.

The defendants were arrested between May 30 and June 3, 2024, after being accused of allegedly planning acts of terrorism around President Nayib Bukele’s June 1 inauguration. Salvadoran and international human rights and solidarity organizations have denounced the allegations as false and as an attempt to criminalize peaceful organizing and political dissent.

Their prosecution before a Tribunal Against Organized Crime and an anonymous, or “faceless,” judge is particularly concerning in the context of widespread political persecution and serious questions about judicial independence in El Salvador. Now, the unexplained inability of the Salvadoran prison and judicial systems to ensure the defendants’ participation in their own trial has resulted in yet another extension of their imprisonment.