[Cispes-update] Riot Police Attack Community for Defending Water Resources

[CISPES National Office]

Riot Police Attack Community for Defending Water Resources

CISPES update

November 1, 2007



 

On October 12, riot police in the Salvadoran department of Santa Ana -
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. 

 

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.  

 

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
<http://www.cispes.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=305&Itemid=
29>  videos of the attack here.

 

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.

 

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." 

 

Health Privatization Law approved by right wing parties

 

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.  

 

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. 

 

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.

 

Social organizations and base communities protest against impunity

 

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.

 

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 El Salvador.

 

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.

 

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 El Salvador.

 

 

 

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