War Criminal-Citizen

"This prosecution demonstrates our resolve to deny safe haven to human rights violators and to ensure these criminals are held accountable."
Mythili Raman, acting U.S. assistant attorney general

"We would have preferred to see him tried in Canada for war crimes and we continue to hope that some day he will stand trial on those charges. But it is good that he will be spending several years in jail. It is at least a step toward justice for the Dos Erres massacre."
Matt Eisenbrandt, legal director, Canadian Centre for International Justice

"To cover up the rapes, all of the villagers were brought to the centre of the village, where the Special Patrol members systematically killed the men, women and children."
U.S. Department of Justice statement

"We find in Jorge, a person with a wonderful heart, willing to help and support people in any way."
"Jorge provided encouragement and assistance to people in Alberta. He gave a helping hand to new immigrants to establish themselves in Canada. As a Christian, Jorge was devoted to God by belonging to the order of Jesus Christ Group in his religious organizations."
Trust Testimonials on behalf of Jorge Sosa

Some 80 million "lost" pages include records of people and police assassination orders. (Daniel Leclair / Reuters / Corbis)

Jorge Sosa, a Guatemalan, became an officer in the U.S.-backed Guatemalan Army, joining the elite Kaibiles commandos specializing in jungle warfare. He was an instructor at the Kaibil training academy in 1982 and was chosen for the Special Patrol, "a small unit formed to combat guerrilla forces", as described by U.S. prosecutors.

After the archives were discovered in an abandoned munitions depot, investigators sought the assistance of human rights expert Patrick Ball. (Ann Harrison / Human Rights Data Analysis Group)

In 1982, guerrillas had ambushed Guatemalan soldiers, and taken possession of their army rifles. A month later the Special Patrol arrived at Dos Erres to recover the weapons, but were unable to locate them, nor could they determine that guerrillas were close by. Despite that the soldiers began ruthlessly interrogating villagers, cordoning off the village, rounding up residents for questioning, separating men from women.

That done, they began raping young girls. After the Special Forces killed the villagers, many of the bodies were dumped into a well, a decision supervised by Jorge Sosa. People were tossed into the well still alive. They screamed at Sosa, and he responded "by cursing and shooting his assault weapon and throwing a grenade into the well", according to the American prosecutors. Six year after this, Sosa arrived in Lethbridge, Alberta.

The Guatemalan counter-insurgency unit that was engaged in this atrocity disbanded, and Jorge Sosa, who had not revealed any details about his past was given entrance to Canada to become a landed immigrant. In 1992, he relocated to Calgary. At about the same time, an Argentine forensics team was inspecting that well in Dos Erres in northern Guatemala where they discovered evidence of a war crime.

In Calgary, Jorge Sosa integrated himself comfortably into the Guatemalan expatriate community. There he participated in "displays, fashion shows, dancing and special events" hosted by the Guatemalan Calgary Association. And then Jorge moved again, going on to Moreno Valley, California, where he worked as a popular karate instructor whom his pupils referred to as Sensei Sosa.

"No matter what is uncovered from his past, I will always believe he is a kind and loving man", wrote one of his martial arts students. Time, however, and his past, were catching up to Jorge Sosa. In 2010, American authorities arrested another member of the Kaibiles in Florida by the name of Gilberto Jordan who was convicted of lying to immigration officials when he had applied for U.S. citizenship.

This alerted Jorge Sosa, so he left for Mexico and from there made his way back to Alberta. He was arrested back in Lethbridge in 2011 by Canadian officials, and the Alberta court upheld his extradition to the U.S. On Wednesday, Jorge Sosa was stripped of his U.S. citizenship, leaving only his Canadian citizenship to him.

Jorge Sosa, 55, was sentenced by a California judge to ten years imprisonment for concealing his role in the Dos Erres massacre.

"Yes, I would let him teach my children. Yes, I want him in my community. Yes, I want him teaching me martial arts. Yes, I think he should be set free", Shawn Nolan who knew Sosa from Lethbridge College wrote. "And, I think he should be honoured by our Canadian government for the work he has done in teaching our people."