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But while the case showed the long memory and reach of war crimes prosecutors, it also highlighted how hard it can be to bring those responsible for wartime atrocities to account. Sosa was convicted only of an immigration violation — failing to be forthcoming about his past when he applied for U.S. citizenship.

Matt Eisenbrandt, legal director of the Canadian Centre for International Justice, said while the sentence was a “good start,” Sosa should have been prosecuted in Canada for what he did in Guatemala, rather than for misleading immigration authorities in the United States.

“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,” he said.

The Dos Erres massacre was one of many that occurred when Central America was a battleground for Cold War proxy wars. In 1976, Sosa became an officer in the U.S.-backed Guatemalan Army and joined the elite Kaibiles, commandos who specialized in jungle warfare.

Although he was an instructor at the Kaibil training academy, in early 1982, he was selected for the Special Patrol, described by U.S. prosecutors as “a small unit formed to combat guerrilla forces.”

In November, 1982, guerrillas ambushed Guatemalan soldiers and stole their rifles. The following month, the Special Patrol entered Dos Erres hoping to recover the weapons. They did not find them, nor was there any other evidence the guerrillas were nearby.