The government of El Salvador has apologised for the "blindness of state violence" that resulted in the massacre of over 1000 civilians in the town of El Mozote, in 1981.
Soldiers, of the now criminalised Atlacatl battalion executed civilians, almost half of whom were children. The victims were accused of working with left-wing guerrilla groups.
Speaking at a remembrance event held on Sunday in El Mozote, El Salvador's Foreign Minister, Hugo Martinez, said,
"This event seeks to honour the memory of hundreds of innocent people who were murdered 30 years ago here in El Mozote and in nearby towns."
Despite this long-awaited apology, the relatives of the deceased and human rights activists continue to seek justice.
Although negotiations to end the Salvadorean civil war in 1992, included a general amnesty, activists hope the case will be heard at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights next year.
