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<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>Anti-privatization
Protesters from SIGEESAL Health Care <st1:place w:st="on">Union</st1:place> Jailed<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>CISPES Update<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>September 10, 2007<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><img width=320
height=226 id="_x0000_i1025" src="cid:image001.jpg@01C7F3A6.FC31A0A0"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><i><font size=1
face=Arial><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-style:italic'>Members
of the SIGEESAL union denounce the capture of 8 of their members (photo: CEAL)<o:p></o:p></span></font></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Eight members of the Salvadoran General Hospitals Union (SIGEESAL) were
illegally arrested on September 4 for participating in a demonstration against
the privatization of the national health system back on July 6. </span></font><span
lang=ES-SV>The eight jailed union members are: <font color=black><span
style='color:black'>Ana Luz Ordoñez Castro, Mirian Ruth Castro Lemus, Elsa
Yanira Paniagua, Noemí Barrientos de Pérez, Ana Graciela de Carranza, Jorge
Emilio Pérez, Manuel Trejo Artero and Anemias Armando Cantadeiro. </span></font></span><font
color=black><span style='color:black'>All being charged with public disorder and
damage to private property. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>SIGEESAL is a </span></font>member of the
Salvadoran Union Front (FSS) and <font color=black><span style='color:black'>has
strengthened its organizing and mobilizing following a merger with the national
hospitals association (ANTMPAS). The new union brings together workers in the
entire national health care system, and they have organized a campaign to denounce
the corruption within the system, the extreme shortage within hospitals, and the
privatization of some services within the largest hospitals. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Last week the FSS presented a resolution
to the Legislative Assembly calling the captures a blatant violation of the
constitutional right to protest, and more specifically, a violation of the
recently approved International Labor Organization (ILO) agreements 87 and 98
which grant workers the right to organize and unionize. The demands of
Salvadoran Union Front are for the immediate release of the protesters and for
the respect of the ILO agreements. Health Minister Guillermo Maza has been
clear about government intentions to privatize health care and has declared
“zero unions” as one of the goals in his administration. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>These arrests have reminded the social
movement of the extent to which Saca and his government are willing to go to
fulfill their plans of water and health care privatization. Just two months
ago, 14 people were arrested in the department of Suchitoto for protesting
against the privatization of water and will soon go to trial under the
anti-terrorism law; now, eight more members of the movement have been jailed
for protesting against the privatization of health. <i><span style='font-style:
italic'>For more information go to “Action Alerts” at <a
href="http://www.cispes.org/">www.cispes.org</a>, and expect a new alert about
how to respond to the SIGEESAL situation soon.<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black;font-weight:bold'>“Social
cleansing” groups inside Salvadoran Police<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Almost a year after both the governmental Human Rights Defense Office and
the Catholic Church’s Human Rights Commission reported the existence of
social cleansing groups inside the National Civilian Police (PNC), lawyers have
found enough evidence to prosecute Sergeant Nelson Arriaza and police officer
Carlos Chevez Hidalgo for the assassination of eight people in the departments
of San Miguel and <st1:PersonName ProductID="La Union. In" w:st="on"><st1:PersonName
ProductID="La Union." w:st="on">La Union.</st1:PersonName> In</st1:PersonName>
total there are six PNC officers under investigation for having participated in
the execution of the victims and for having aided and concealed evidence about
the murders.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>The western <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceType w:st="on">municipality</st1:PlaceType>
of <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Chalchuapa</st1:PlaceName></st1:place> has been in
a state of alarm as this past week after an anonymous letter was circulated in
town calling for all citizens specially youth to obey a curfew so that the
self-titled “E.L. death squad” can operate without obstacles. The FMLN
mayor of Chalchuapa is calling for the authorities to investigate the
situation, especially since the municipal government has recorded 50 murders
for the month of August while police records show there have only been 17. PNC
director Rodrigo Avila has made weak and uninformed statements about the nature
of the investigations, calling it a case of “a few bad cops.” Meanwhile,
respected Human Rights Defense Office worker David Morales has publicly
criticized <st1:City w:st="on">Avila</st1:City>’s response and has called
for a thorough investigation and a “purging of the National Police”
at the highest levels, starting with director <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Avila</st1:place></st1:City>. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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