Una sentencia, flores y velas: siete expolicías condenados por el crimen contra Eldin Choc y Milton Santamaría
prensacomunitaria.org
Después de más de dos años de búsqueda de justicia, siete expolicías fueron condenados por su responsabilidad en la ejecución extrajudicial de Eldin Choc y Milton Santamaría. Mientras el Tribunal de Mayor Riesgo B dictaba la sentencia, en las afueras de la Torre de Tribunales, familiares, activistas y personas de la sociedad civil mantenían viva ... Read more

After more than two years of seeking justice, seven ex-cops were convicted of their responsibility in the extrajudicial execution of Eldin Choc and Milton Santamaría. While the Highest Risk Court B handed down the sentence, on the outskirts of the Court Tower, family members, activists and people of civil society kept their memory alive among flowers, candles and anti-homophobia messages.

By Sergio Sor

On Wednesday night, October 21, 2026, he marked an important moment in the search for justice for Eldin Leonel Choc Xi and Milton Nelson Santamaría, a gay couple who were victims of police violence in San Andrés Itzapa, Chimaltenango, on April 18, 2024.

After more than two years of waiting, the Highest Risk Court B convicted seven former National Civil Police (PNC) agents for their responsibility for the events.

This hearing brought together family members, representatives of civil society organizations, activists and the media. The resolution was issued by Judges María Eugenia Castellanos Cruz, president and vocalists Marling Mayela González Arrivillaga and Missulla Eunice Solís Rodas.

While the ruling was heard inside the court, a seedling was kept on the outskirts of the Courts Tower to demand justice in this case.

The people present had placed blankets, flowers and candles to remember Eldin and Milton, in a day that was not only marked by the judicial resolution, but also by accompaniment and collective solidarity.

Seven convictions and a demand that remains

During the reading of the ruling, the judges detailed the individual responsibilities of the seven former agents involved in the case. Edy Leonel Vásquez Rabanales, who was head of substation 73-15, and Fredy Santiago Velásquez Pérez were convicted of the extrajudicial execution of Eldin and Milton. Each received 30 years in prison for each victim, for a total of 60 years.

Mauricio Abraham Contreras Salán was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the extrajudicial execution of Milton Santamaría, while he was acquitted of that crime in the case of Eldin Choc Xi. In addition, former agents Yulisa Nabely Ayala Yol and Yorleni Lisbeth Macario Ramos received a sentence of 11 years in prison each: six years for discrimination, three for each victim, and five years for breach of duties.

Former policeman Ángel Mario Roquel Sajbochol was sentenced to ten years in prison for obstructing criminal action and breach of duties, in addition to a fine of a thousand quetzals for omission of complaint. Finally, Jeremiah Jacobo Rojas Rojas received an eight-year sentence for abuse of authority and illegal detention.

One of the important aspects during the reading of the resolutions was the recognition that Eldin and Milton maintained a relationship. Likewise, during the presentation of the facts and the evidence, references were made to homophobia and hatred, elements that had been pointed out throughout the search for justice.

However, although the convictions represent a step forward, there remains an important demand: the legal recognition of crimes motivated by hatred and prejudice.

In Guatemala, these are not classified as specific crimes when they are motivated by the sexual orientation or gender identity of the victims. That is why the sentence also opened space to reflect on the need to strengthen laws and protection mechanisms, as well as to recognize the responsibility of the institutions of the State against the violence exercised by their agents.

Facts that gave rise to the search for justice

On April 18, 2024, Eldin and Milton were arrested by officers of the National Civil Police in San Andrés Itzapa, Chimaltenango. Both were subsequently killed in events that resulted in an investigation and judicial proceedings against the agents involved.

Since then, their families, human rights organizations and people of sexual diversity have prompted actions to demand that the deaths not go unpunished. The case also put into question the violence and discrimination faced by LGBTIQ+ people in Guatemala, particularly when they come from those who have a responsibility to ensure the safety of the population. For more than two years, the demand for justice by Eldin and Milton was accompanied by memory actions and calls to recognize violence motivated by prejudices towards sexual orientation and gender identity.

Memory that remains on fire

The demand for justice did not begin on the day of the sentence. On Thursday, 15 October, the date on which the judicial resolution was initially planned, activists and civil society organizations had organized a first sit-in, accompanied by actions in front of the Ministry of the Interior.

Although the reading of the sentence was rescheduled, the accompanying actions continued until Wednesday, October 21, when people again gathered outside the Courts Tower.

Photo 3. Seedling and collective altar outside Courts to demand justice for this crime. Photo Sergio Sor

During the seedling, blankets and tarpaulins were placed with messages such as “Homophobia Kills” and “Justice for Eldin and Milton”. A collective altar was also made with flowers and candles, as a space to remember their lives and express solidarity with their families. At the end of the hearing, the meeting in front of the altar allowed to hear the words of family members and people who had accompanied the process.

There the sentence took on another meaning: it was not only about the years of imprisonment imposed, but the lives that were lost and the importance of continuing to demand justice for those facing violence and discrimination. The collective altar was also a space to remember other people of sexual diversity killed in 2026, more than thirteen victims, and the need to keep their memory alive, preventing their stories from being reduced to figures.

Among the flowers, candles and messages, the seedling gathered people with a shared demand: that no person be victims of violence because of their sexual orientation or gender identity and that the institutions responsible for protecting the population act with respect for human rights.

One of the significant moments in front of the collective altar was the intervention of Henry Alexander Choc, elder brother of Eldin, who thanked the accompaniment received during the days of demand for justice. “I don’t have how to pay them all the support they have given us since Thursday,” he told the people gathered. His words reflected the importance of solidarity during a process that spanned more than two years.

The presence of family, friends, activists and organizations allowed the demand for justice not only to remain in the judicial field, but also to be present in public spaces.

During the seedling, Javier Yantuche, of Asociación Lambda also highlighted the value of remaining united in the face of violence and discrimination. “In the end, that’s how we are community and here we are doing community,” he said.

This reflection allowed to recognize that collective accompaniment not only responds to a fact of violence, but also strengthens the links between people who share the search for a more just society. The interventions demand that people of sexual diversity deserve to live with dignity, without their identities being a source of mockery, abuse or discrimination, especially by public authorities.

It’s not the end

The conviction against the seven ex-cops represents a significant moment for Guatemalan society in the pursuit of justice by Eldin and Milton. But it also leaves important pending in the recognition of violence motivated by prejudice, protection of human rights and responsibility of public institutions.

To name homophobia is also to recognize one of the forms of violence faced by people of sexual diversity. It involves listening to their experiences, identifying the conditions that allow these aggressions and abuses and demanding measures that contribute to prevent them.

Justice should not be limited to punishing the facts after they occur. It also requires actions to ensure that no person is discriminated against, violated or deprived of their life because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. The day of October 21 leaves two images that are part of the same story: within the court, seven former agents received convictions for their responsibility in the case; outside, relatives and solidarity people remained gathered around an altar, remembering that the search for justice is also sustained from memory and accompaniment.

After more than two years, the convictions represent a step forward. But the flowers, candles and voices gathered in front of the court recalled that there are still pending demands. The memory of Eldin and Milton remains present in those who continue to claim a Guatemala where people of sexual diversity can live with freedom, dignity and security and that no other life is taken away by hatred and discrimination.