[Cispes-update] Assassinations, Death Threats Left Unresolved as Police Director Steps Down to Seek Presidency

[CISPES National Office]

In this CISPES update:


-          Assassinations, Death <>  Threats Left Unresolved as Police
Director Steps Down to Seek Presidency


-          Civil society and the FMLN <>  pressure ARENA to repeal salary
increase for Legislative Assembly deputies


-          FMLN commemorates the <>  second anniversary of the death of
Schafik Handal


-          Take action to protest Anti-Terrorism <>  law before hearing of
Suchitoto 13


 


Assassinations, Death Threats Left Unresolved as Police Director Steps Down
to Seek Presidency


CISPES update

February 1, 2008

 

On January 7, employees of Radio Cadena Mi Gente, a progressive radio
station based in San Salvador, received death threats via telephone calls
made to the station. Despite the assurance of Rodrigo Ávila, then-Director
of the National Civilian Police (PNC), that he had “all intentions” of
investigating the threats, no investigation has yet moved forward. Ávila
made a similar commitment last year in response to the murder of Radio
Cadena Mi Gente employee Salvador Sánchez. However, Sánchez’s murder remains
unresolved. 

 

With the threats against Radio Cadena Mi Gente, the murder of Salvador
Sánchez, and the recent assassination of Wilber Moises Funes –- mayor of the
town of Alegria from the FMLN party – still unresolved, PNC Director Ávila
resigned his position on January 25 in order to run for the presidency of El
Salvador. Ávila is one of 18 candidates vying for the nomination of the
right-wing ARENA party. 

 

Despite frequently referencing his government’s work in “defense of
liberty,” Antonio Saca, President of El Salvador and a radio station mogul
himself, has yet to denounce the threats made against Radio Cadena Mi Gente.
The radio station, which has only been on the air for a year, already enjoys
broad support, having established itself as one of the few media outlets
that is independent of the ruling ARENA party. 

 


Civil society and the FMLN pressure ARENA to repeal salary increase for
Legislative Assembly deputies


 

Last Friday, January 18, the legislative factions of the ARENA and PCN
parties joined forces to approve a $1,800-$2,900 increase in the monthly
salary of Legislative Assembly deputies. With this raise, Assembly President
Rubén Orellana, a member of the PCN, would earn more that $8,600 monthly.
This amount is exactly 100 times the average monthly income of a Salvadoran
agricultural worker. 

 

The raise was approved by the Board of Directors of the Legislative Assembly
without the participation of members of the leftist FMLN party, which
declared the salary increase both illegal and immoral. The FMLN immediately
called for the repeal of the salary increase, and its deputies in the
Legislative Assembly committed to invest their own additional income in
various social efforts, including hospitals and scholarships for students.

 

The FMLN’s candidate for the 2009 presidential elections, Mauricio Funes,
publicly judged the raise to be “alarming and illegal.” Funes also presented
official correspondence to the Legislative Assembly denouncing the hypocrisy
of the right-wing parties’ approval of such a dramatic salary increase after
approving only a $10 increase to the monthly minimum wage at the end of
2007.

 

In that same vein, popular organizations such as the Salvadoran Union Front
(FSS) came out against the salary increase. The FSS stated that the raise is
“a slap in the face for the thousands of families that survive on the
minimum wage.” This opinion coincides with the outrage the public has
expressed through media outlets. Many Salvadorans note that the salary
increase would be financed by their taxes, while they themselves continue to
face an economic crisis.

 

Despite popular sentiment, members of ARENA initially declined to comment on
the salary increase. However, two days after the raise was announced,
President Saca said that it will be necessary to “revise” the increase.
Finally on Thursday the right-wing parties bowed to the pressure and voted
along with the FMLN to rescind the law which had authorized the increase.

 


FMLN commemorates the second anniversary of the death of Schafik Handal


 

The FMLN commemorated the death of its historic leader, Schafik Handal, on
January 24 with a series of activities in honor of his life and
contributions to the revolutionary process in El Salvador. Handal died of a
heart attack two years ago.

 

The principal activity in tribute to Handal, the party’s 1994 presidential
candidate, was an “open tribunal.” FMLN party leadership dedicated this
tribunal to Handal in recognition of his role in initiating the “open
tribunal” tradition while serving in the Legislative Assembly. The FMLN’s
ongoing weekly tribunals provide a forum for party leaders and lawmakers to
meet regularly with the public to report on government issues.

 

In this special tribunal, members of the FMLN provided a report on the
party’s current work at the municipal and legislative levels, and on the
state of the party. Violeta Menjívar, Mayor of San Salvador, described
various projects that the FMLN’s municipal governments around the country
have carried out. Among these projects, a highlight was the importation of
fuel from Venezuela. This initiative, carried out by the FMLN’s mayors, has
allowed citizens to purchase fuel at below-market level prices. 

 

On behalf of the FMLN’s faction in the Legislative Assembly, Salvador
Sánchez Ceren, deputy and vice-presidential candidate, presented a report on
recently-approved laws that will benefit the population. Sánchez Ceren also
emphasized the importance of next year’s municipal and legislative
elections. It is necessary, he said, for the FMLN to win a majority in the
Assembly to prevent a coalition of the ARENA and the PCN parties from
approving more right-wing projects such as the Anti-Terrorist Law, the CAFTA
free trade deal, and the ILEA police academy. 

 


Take action to protest Anti-Terrorism law before hearing of Suchitoto 13


Go
<http://www.cispes.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=338&Itemid=
27>  here to defend those being charged with terrorism in El Salvador!


 


February 8 marks an important date for the 13 protesters arrested in July of
last year in the town of Suchitoto and charged under El Salvador’s
anti-terrorism law.  The judge in the case has given the prosecution until
that date to present evidence, at which point she will transfer the evidence
to the defense and schedule a hearing for the defendants.  CISPES and other
US-based organizations have been pressuring the Salvadoran government to
drop the charges, and carried out a successful week of action in
mid-January.  Various Congressional Representatives are sending letters to
President Saca to express concern about the human rights situation in El
Salvador, and a delegation of social movement representatives from El
Salvador met with House and Senate members this week, as well as the
secretary general of the Organization of American States, to further
denounce recent government repression, political violence, and questionable
electoral reforms passed by the right-wing parties.  

 

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