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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'>Riot
Police Attack Community for Defending Water Resources<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'>November 1, 2007<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=2
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'><img width=384
height=212 id="_x0000_i1027" src="cid:image002.jpg@01C81C8E.B6BA5E20"><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'>On October 12, riot police in the Salvadoran department of <st1:City
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Santa Ana</st1:place></st1:City> – accompanied
by Salvadoran soldiers – barged into the rural community of Cutumay
Camones, attacking community members, including children and elders, for
protesting against the construction of a garbage dump in their community. For
months, the community organization ACOFUBEN has protested the garbage dump, as
it will contaminate their water source and create a series of health problems
for the community. <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'>Community members are enraged at the violation of their right to be
consulted on the building of the dump, and Human Rights Ombudsman Oscar Luna
has criticized its construction for not having the appropriate legal permits
from the Environment Ministry. The report that the Legislative Assembly
received from the Salvadoran Court of Audits declared irregularities on the
permit that the Environmental Ministry awarded to Presys, a private company.
The permit application did not have an adequate environmental impact report and
it was granted in violation of Article 25 of the Environmental Law, which
demands that the public be consulted on any such project. Now, people must
protest the construction of the dump in order to defend their water and
health. <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'>On October 12, police and military repression began during the early
hours as tear gas and rubber bullets targeted the community, wounding many people.
Then on October 25 the community was victim of another violent attack by the riot
police. Media footage of the repressive police actions has been widely
distributed, alerting the international community of these violent attacks and
revealing the excess force of the riot police acted. Amidst the attack on the
community, one television journalist was targeted by the riot police. You can
see <a
href="http://www.cispes.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=305&Itemid=29">a
videos of the attack here.</a><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'>Since the incident with the journalist, police authorities have removed
the offending police officers from the National Civilian Police. However, the
removal of single officers for the attack on the television journalist is
insufficient, as the military and police continue to defend private interests
by repressing the community, and the construction of the garbage dump will go
forward despite the community objection and protest. Social organizations continue
to monitor and support the community in denouncing the ongoing repression and
are calling for a real solution to the situation.<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 FMLN and social organizations have denounced this repression and
are demanding for the violence to be condemned by the government. ARENA
deputies in the Legislative Assembly have rejected the FMLN’s demands,
assuring the public that the riot police “were simply doing their job.”
However, Saca himself has admitted that there was an “excess of
force” applied by the riot police against the population, but that it is
“an isolated case.” <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'>Health Privatization Law approved by
right wing parties<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial;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'>On October 22, ARENA and PCN deputies approved the National Health
System proposal so that it could go to a vote in the Legislative Assembly on
October 25. The proposal of a National Health System law was created by the
Francisco Flores administration and has been discussed since June of this year
in the Health and Environmental Commission of the Salvadoran Legislative
Assembly. <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'>Social organizations and the FMLN have ardently rejected this law as it
opens up the doors to the privatization of the national health system, which
would leave the majority of the Salvadoran population without access to health
care. FMLN deputy Zoila Quijada said “let’s see if President
Antonio Saca will keep his word to not privatize the health care system by vetoing
this law.” According to Quijada, if the President ratifies the law he
will only be building on the economic repression of his government by
privatizing another service that the government should provide to its people. <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'>During the day of the vote, the FMLN and the Citizen Alliance Against
the Privatization of Health coordinated a protest against the vote on the law.
Inside of the National Assembly, the FMLN opposed the law, but despite their
arguments, the law was approved with the 52 votes of the right and center
parties (ARENA, PCN, PDC, and CD.) Currently, the FMLN and the social movement
have committed to continuing the struggle against the privatization of health
through further organizing and greater mobilizations.<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'>Social organizations and base
communities protest against impunity<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'>In a meeting with the Inter-American Human Rights Commission (IHRC) on
October 10, the Salvadoran government sustained that it is impossible to
investigate crimes committed during the armed conflict of the 1980s due to the
existence of the Amnesty Law approved in 1993. At the same time, two
Salvadoran human rights organizations held a follow up meeting with the IHRC on
the Archbishop Oscar Romero murder with the participation of the Salvadoran
government.<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 government once again refused to accept responsibility
for the assassination of Romero even though the IHRC declared it responsible
for violating his “right to life” and for not investigating his
case. The IHRC also requested that the Salvadoran government reverse the
Amnesty Law, as it impedes the peace process toward peace in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on">El Salvador</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'>Opus Dei member and Archbishop of San Salvador Saenz Lacalle has asked
for patience and has defended the “open dialogue” between the Salvadoran
government and the Catholic Church, both of whom attempt to minimize and
silence Romero’s importance to the Salvadoran people.<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 Catholic Church’s Human Rights office has publicly denounced
the unwillingness of the Archbishop and the Salvadoran government to
investigate, but its public spokesperson David Morales was recently removed
from the office in a right-wing attempt to silence popular demand for justice in
the Romero case. Various social organizations and base communities have
publicly criticized Saenz Lacalle and the Salvadoran government for refusing to
investigate Romero’s case and allowing impunity to reign in <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">El Salvador</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'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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