Salvadoran judge frees defendants from stadium stampede; Prosecutor’s Office appeals and they will remain in prison

SAN SALVADOR – A court in San Salvador, in the capital of El Salvador, ordered the release of the five accused of being responsible for the stampede at the Cuscatlán stadium on May 20, a ruling that was not to the liking of the Prosecutor’s Office decided to appeal so that the defendants continue in prison.

“All legal tools will continue to be used to ensure that justice is done,” the institution said through its Twitter account.

Initially, the defendants were dismissed for the crimes of culpable homicide and culpable injuries, explained defense attorney Miguel Anaya, at the end of the hearing held on June 2.

According to Anaya, the defendants reconciled with the relatives of the fatalities between 5,000 and 10,000 dollars, and in the case of the injured, compensation of 30 dollars for each day of disability.

The defendants are Pedro Hernández, president of the Alianza soccer team; Edwin Abarca Ventura, Alianza’s security manager; Zoila Córdova, Alianza’s financial manager; Reynaldo Avelar Contreras, general manager of Escenarios Deportivos de El Salvador (EDESSA) and Samuel García Montano, in charge of the stadium keys during the incident.

During the first investigations, the Salvadoran Prosecutor’s Office raided the Alianza and EDESSA offices, considering that negligence and the overselling of tickets for the match were decisive factors in the incident.

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