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These events, some fear, may be connected to a recent Supreme Court decision to review the validity of an amnesty law that has been in the books since the end of the country's civil war.

If the court were to overturn the amnesty law, military officers and others could face charges for atrocities committed during the 1980-1992 civil war.

In the wake of the review, two human rights groups who possess and handle civil war-era documents have suffered severe setbacks.

This week, three armed men attacked the offices of the Pro-Search Association of Disappeared Children, a group dedicated to locating the children who disappeared during the war.

In the predawn attack, the gunmen tied up a driver, a guard and an employee who were at the office, according to an account on the organization's website.

The intruders seemed to know what they were looking for, as they stole computers with sensitive data and DNA samples used in their investigations. Then, they torched the rest of the files.

"First of all, I think this is sabotage" said Ester Alvarenga, the group's director.

The stolen or destroyed items included documents and files of parents looking for their children, she said. The destruction of the files could put some judicial actions at risk, she added.

The group has solved 387 cases of about 925 investigations of children who disappeared during the civil war. Many ended up being adopted abroad.

"I don't think a political motive can be ruled out," David Morales, a prosecutor in the human rights division, said.

The attack on the Pro-Seach Association follows the closure of another important human rights office.