One of two sister cases, Ochoa Lizarbe v. Hurtado was filed in July 2007 before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Our clients, Teófila Ochoa and Cirila Pulido, brought claims against Telmo Hurtado Hurtado, a former Second Lieutenant of the Peruvian Army, for his role as a commander responsible for his subordinates who carried out the Accomarca Massacre on August 14, 1985.
On November 21, 2007, the district court entered a default judgment was entered against Hurtado for torture, extrajudicial killing, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Hurtado was ordered in March 2008 to pay $37 million in damages to the plaintiffs and the estates of their family members. The judgment in this case represents the first time that anyone has been held to account for atrocities committed in connection with the Accomarca Massacre.
CJA’s civil suit against Hurtado galvanized international cooperation between the United States and Peru to hold him criminal accountable. In 2007, Peru requested Hurtado’s extradition from the U.S, and on July 14, 2011 the United States extradited Hurtado to Peru to stand trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
On September 1, 2016, the court found Hurtado guilty of grave human rights violations and sentenced him to 24 years in prison.
