The murder of four American churchwomen focused attention on the United States’ involvement in El Salvador. Decades later, the case continues to take surprising turns.

The Murder of US Churchwomen in El Salvador That Exposed a Government Coverup

Producers: Kit R. Roane and Raymond Bonner
Editor: Jeff Bernier

In 1980, four American churchwomen, working as missionaries, were raped and then murdered in El Salvador. The killings created a storm of protest in the United States, revealed the brutality of the civil war in El Salvador and raised awareness about America’s policies in Central America. Now, the families of the slain churchwomen are still hoping to find justice — this time in American immigration courts.

Related:
Laying Out a Case for Deporting Human Rights Abusers by Clyde Haberman
Massacre in El Salvador produced with PBS, Frontline and ProPublica
Remembrance of a Massacre — El Mozote: Foreward by Raymond Bonner, photographs by Susan Meiselas
First-Hand Account: Lessons From the El Mozote Massacre by Clyde Haberman
The High Price of Doing Journalism in El Salvador by Nelson Rauda

Transcript Lesson Plan

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Deportation of Former Salvadoran Official Is Upheld The New York Times
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What Archbishop Romero's Beatification Means For El Salvador Today NPR.com
U.S. Deports Salvadoran General Accused in ’80s Killings The New York Times
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Related Coverage
Laying Out a Case for Deporting Human Rights Abusers The New York Times
Bringing El Salvador Nun Killers to Justice The Daily Beast
The U.S. hindered justice for a group of brutally murdered U.S. nuns, Retro Reports reminds us The Week
Four churchwomen and their killers, nearly thirty-five years later Commonweal Magazine