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<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><font size=4
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-weight:bold'>Judges
Oppose Anti-Terrorism Law; FMLN Announces Candidates for President and
Vice-President<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<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'>CISPES
Update<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'>October 3, 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=333
height=232 id="_x0000_i1025" src="cid:image001.jpg@01C805EC.655FB150"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><i><font size=2
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-style:italic'>Market
vendors show their support for the FMLN candidates<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><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>A year after the ARENA party and its right wing allies passed the
Anti-Terrorism law, three judges from the San Salvador tribunals criticized the
law as lacking clarity, saying that the law is much too broad and can therefore
be applied arbitrarily. Judges Rolando Corcio, Martin Rogel and Aida Santos de
Escobar declared the law “too confusing” and more importantly, clarified
that “simple street protests are not acts of terrorism”, which
coincides with the analysis and resistance of the Salvadoran social movement
regarding the law. <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'>Despite the criticism of the Anti-Terrorist law, Attorney General
Garrid Safie insists that “acts of terrorism have occurred, but guilt has
not been proven”. More than 40 people have been arrested under the
law since it went into effect, yet none have been sentenced with terrorism
charges. On September 1, the 28 vendors charged with terrorism on May 12<sup> </sup>were
all released as the judges in the specialized tribunals claimed there was not
enough evidence to convict them as terrorists. As one judge stated, even
the arrests were arbitrary given that some people were arrested and charged
with acts of terrorism for “simply having been at the scene of the
crime”. <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'>Meanwhile, the 14 people charged with terrorism for their participation
in the Suchitoto protest against water privatization have joined with the
Committee of the Families of Political Prisoners to continue their struggle for
the charges to dropped. Two weeks ago they held a two-day fast in front of the
Legislative Assembly, and they won a temporary victory when it was announced
that their trail would be delayed.<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><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>FMLN publicly announces presidential
and vice-presidential candidates for 2009 elections <o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><br>
</span></font></b>On September 27, the FMLN Political Commission publicly
announced Mauricio Funes and Salvador Sanchez Ceren as their proposed
candidates for the presidency and vice-presidency for the 2009 Salvadoran elections.
The final decision on the presidential candidates for the FMLN will made at the
party convention in November of this year; already, however, different sectors
of the Salvadoran social movement have announced their overwhelming support for
the FMLN’s presidential slate – including at a rally of the
National Vendors movement this week – and excitement is growing around
the FMLN’s chance to win in 2009.<o:p></o:p></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'>ARENA's desperate and uncoordinated response to the FMLN's announcement
involved current vice-president Ana Vilma de Escobar calling for an emergency
press conference just hours after the announcement by the FMLN Political
Commission. There she announced her intentions of becoming a presidential
candidate for ARENA, but the event was attended only by the media and no fellow
ARENA members were present. <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'>Internal divisions within ARENA have become more public in the past few
months. Escobar herself admitted to the press that she does not have the
support of her party members, to which Saca responded that she has the right to
launch her candidacy but that there are many men and women within the ARENA
party that also have candidacy inspirations. ARENA has announced that it
will not make it’s candidates public until May 2008.<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><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>FMLN investigates National Civilian
Police training in Military facilities<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></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'>FMLN deputy Benito Lara, member of the Security Commission in the
Legislative Assembly, announced this week that the FMLN legislative fraction
will present a resolution to National Civilian Police<b><span style='font-weight:
bold'> (</span></b>PNC) Director Rodrigo Avila, Defense Minister Otto Romero
and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">National</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Police</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Academy</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>
director Benjamin Cestoni demanding an explanation for why police are being
trained in military facilities.<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'>According to Guillermo Gallegos, head of the ARENA fraction in the
Assembly, the FMLN is “seeing ghosts where they don’t
exist”. Gallegos declared that the PNC can in fact be trained in
military facilities “as long as they have verification from a
superior” and said that the only coordination between the PNC and the
armed forces is in rescue operations during natural disasters. FMLN
deputy Lara sustained that the national police is “becoming
militarized” and “increasingly repressive” and therefore the
FMLN will continue to push for an investigation.<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><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>Salvadoran Union Front gives full
support to <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Costa Rica</st1:country-region></st1:place>
CAFTA Referendum <o:p></o:p></span></font></b></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'>The upcoming CAFTA Referendum in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Costa
Rica</st1:country-region> on October 7 is receiving attention from unions in <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">El Salvador</st1:place></st1:country-region>, as
well as from other representatives in the Central American Union Platform
(PSCC.) Many union members are accompanying the process as observers, and
are also coordinating mobilizing efforts that strengthen the NO CAFTA campaign.<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 Salvadoran Union Front (FSS), a member of the PSCC, is coordinating
efforts with the NO campaign in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Costa
Rica</st1:country-region></st1:place> to help guarantee a transparent and
democratic process in the referendum. Unions such as the SETA water
workers union and the SUTTEL telecommunications union are sending
representatives to accompany and support the referendum process in <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Costa Rica</st1:country-region></st1:place>.
<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'>In the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region>,
CISPES and the Stop CAFTA also continue to support the struggle against
CAFTA. Eight people representing the coalition are in <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Costa Rica</st1:place></st1:country-region> this
week to present the report “DR-CAFTA Year Two: Trends and Impacts”,
which can be downloaded at <a href="http://www.lasolidarity.org/">www.lasolidarity.org</a>
and to observe the referendum. An interview with CISPES director Burke
Stansbury about the referendum is available from Between the Lines at <font
color=navy><span style='color:navy'><a
href="http://www.btlonline.org/btlseg2101207.html"
title="blocked::http://www.btlonline.org/btlseg2101207.html">http://www.btlonline.org/btlseg2101207.html</a></span></font><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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