[Cispes-update] Attacks Targeting FMLN Activists Increase

[CISPES National Office]

Attacks Targeting FMLN Activists Increase

CISPES Update

September 16, 2008



 

Also included in this update:

*	Institutional crisis within National <>  Civilian Police worsens
*	FMLN holds convention, candidates <>  officially register for ballot

 

On September 4, party workers from the Salvadoran FMLN (Farabundo Martí
National Liberation Front) were assaulted in San Salvador, resulting in the
hospitalization of four individuals. The attack, carried out against members
of the FMLN’s Communications Brigade, was attributed to armed supporters of
Norman Quijano, the right-wing ARENA party candidate for Mayor of San
Salvador.  The aggression took place on the street of San Jacinto a
neighborhood that is only few miles south of San Salvador’s downtown. The
victims included Otilia Matamoros, Assistant Coordinator of the FMLN Women’s
Secretariat.

 

At a press conference the following day, FMLN Campaign Coordinator Lorena
Peña placed the blame for the violence squarely on the shoulders of Quijano,
who later confirmed that activists associated with his campaign are
routinely armed, and therefore “dangerous.” Such violence has set a stark
tone for El Salvador’s campaign season. The country holds legislative and
municipal elections in January 2009, with voting for president to follow in
March.

 

In response to these acts of violence, Human Rights Ombudsman Oscar Luna
called for a Non-Violence Accord among all of El Salvador’s political
parties. Initial talks to sign an agreement to establish that violence will
not be used as a campaign tactic took place among party representatives and
Mr. Luna on September 12.

 

The FMLN had proposed a similar accord among El Salvador’s political parties
earlier in the summer, though ARENA refused to make such a commitment until
after the September 4 attack. FMLN legislative deputy Robert Lorenzana
stated, “We want a peaceful campaign. We regret the incidents of [September
4], and for this reason it is necessary to coordinate information among the
parties to avoid such incidents.”


 


Institutional crisis within National Civilian Police worsens


National Civilian Police (PNC) Director Francisco Rovira resigned from his
position on August 19, after only six months as head of the institution.
Rovira’s resignation was officially “voluntary,” however several PNC
officials have publicly stated that Rovira was under pressure to step down
after being accused of hiring advisors with links to gangs, among other
internal issues. President Antonio Saca confirmed Former PNC Assistant
Director José Luis Tobar Prieto to take over the top position in the
institution on September 2.

 

Rovira’s departure is seen by some as sign of the PNC’s continued decline.
According to David Morales, a lawyer for legal well respected community
oriented Foundation for the Study and Application of the Law (FESPAD), “the
regrettable thing about Rovira was his brief tenure, in which he made
demagogic promises for the purpose of projecting a good public image.”

 

Human Rights Ombudsman Oscar Luna reiterated prior reports by his office
which show that the PNC is the institution most frequently accused of human
rights violations. It is hoped that the change of directors will improve the
conduct of the PNC. Luna and Morales concurred that the institution has
sharply deteriorated since its creation as part of the 1992 Peace Accords.
Recent years have seen a sharp increase in repressive and politically
motivated operations carried out by the PNC. Furthermore, there are credible
reports of death squad-like structures operating within the PNC’s ranks. 

 

The role of Rodrigo Ávila – the former PNC Director who resigned in January
in order to become the ARENA party’s presidential candidate – has been
called into question by the FMLN. According to FMLN legislator Benito Lara,
a member of the Assembly’s Public Security Commission, “Ávila must answer
for this. Rovira was only there for six months.” Lara added that the
institutional deterioration of the PNC has been detected since shortly after
the Peace Accords brought it into existence.


 


FMLN holds convention, candidates officially register for ballot


The FMLN held its 24th General Convention on August 17, during which the
party presented its Plan of Government for 2009-2014. This document was
produced through the party’s Open Social Dialogue, an extensive process of
consultation with citizens throughout El Salvador.

 

The plan, unanimously adopted by the delegates, lays out a strategy for
achieving the true realization of the 1992 Peace Accords, which ended 12
years of civil war. The ARENA party, in power since 1989, has been accused
of ignoring and neglecting numerous provisions of the Accords. Additionally,
the FMLN’s program emphasizes health care, education, and the strengthening
of the national economy.

 

In other electoral news, FMLN candidate Mauricio Funes took part in an event
to officially join the party on August 27. The ceremony was attended by a
large crowd representing various social sectors, as well as party officials
and activists. Shortly thereafter, Funes and his running mate, Salvador
Sanchez Cerén, officially registered as candidates with the Supreme
Electoral Tribunal.

 

On the other hand, ARENA has yet to select it’s vice presidential candidate
or present its plan of government. Instead, the right wing party seems to
have devoted its energies to attempting to delegitimize the FMLN, largely
through attacks in the media against policies such as Alba Petróleo, an
international program that brings cheap oil imports from Venezuela.

 

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