Archive for November, 2008

The Salvadoran Archbishop, Fernando Sáenz Lacalle, spoke out against the recent criminal complaint against former Salvadoran president, Alfredo Cristiani, and 14 other former military members for the murder of the six Jesuit priests and two female employees in El Salvador in 1989. The Archbishop responded to the news by commenting, “El Salvador’s problems should be resolved in El Salvador.” However, many argue that the case cannot be resolved in El Salvador because of the amnesty laws that protect war criminals from the Salvadoran civil war.

Click here to read the article in the National Catholic Reporter.
Look for the quote from SHARE’s executive director, José Artiga!

- Posted by Sara Skinner, US Grassroots Coordinator, SHARE Foundation

Future lawmakers are willing to facilitate mining in the country, but with certain conditions that will prevent contamination. With the joke that if a congressman found gold under his house he would vote in favor of a law to allow him to excavate all the metal, invitees to the debates of congressional candidates for the central zone made it clear that they are in agreement to regulate mining, which has been an important topic due to the interest by several companies in digging on Salvadoran soil.

Mario Valiente of ARENA, Benito Lara of FMLN, Ciro Cruz Zepeda of PCN, and Medardo Hernandez of PDC are all seeking San Salvador seat and they all say that they will support a mining law.

The country already has a mining law which is very old, hence lawmakers want to update it. There is even a special commission in the Assembly to study the preliminary project presented by the PCN, but there have not been any major progress.

Click here for the original article in Spanish.

- Posted by Sara Skinner, US Grassroots Coordinator

Spanish human rights lawyers have filed a complaint against former Salvadoran president Alfredo Cristiani and 14 former members of the Salvadoran military for their involvement in the deaths of the six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper, and the housekeeper’s daughter almost twenty years ago and the resulting cover-up by the Salvadoran government. Alfredo Cristiani was president when the priests and the two women were murdered on the Central American University campus in November 1989. The priests were symbolically shot in the head for being a part of a group of intellectuals who openly criticized the Salvadoran government during the Salvadoran Civil War (1980-1992). Despite the investigations of and the international outcry over the murders, Alfredo Cristiani and those involved with the case have remained free due to the amnesty laws in El Salvador for those involved in war crimes during the Civil War. However, most of the priests who were murdered were Spanish, so the Spanish High Court may decide to charge them with crimes against the humanity and seek their extradition.

Click here to read an article from the NY Times.
Click here to read an article from CNN.

- Sara Skinner, US Grassroots Coordinator

Click on the link below to watch a video on metallic mineral mining in El Salvador. The video also includes an interview with Marcos Orellana, a Chilean lawyer who specializes in environmental law and international treaties. To view the video, click here.

*This video is in Spanish.

-Sara Skinner, US Grassroots Coordinator

Les proveo un link para ver un video en youtube sobre el tema de la minería metálica en El Salvador. Jesse es un jóven canadiense que conoció Guadalupe Cortes Vega, directora del programa de incidencia de SHARE, en una visita de campo a Cabañas hace unos meses. El video recoge también una entrevista hecha en DC sobre el CAFTA y la amenaza de Pacific Rim de demandar al Estado salvadoreño en base a ese tratado. Se puede ver el video aquí.

- Sara Skinner, Coordinadora del Trabajo de Base

CALL OR WRITE YOUR US REPRESENTATIVE TODAY!

Call or write your US Representative and ask him or her to sign onto a Dear Colleague letter in support of free and fair elections in El Salvador. The letter is being circulated by Congressmen Jim McGovern (MA) and Dennis Moore (KS), and the staff contact person is Cindy Buhl in Congressman McGovern’s office. The letter is currently in circulation in the House of Representatives and signatures will be collected throughout the month of November. Below is a list of talking points to include in your message:

• With the upcoming Municipal, Legislative Assembly, and Presidential elections that will take place in El Salvador on January 18th and March 15th, 2009, I believe the United States can help ensure that the 2009 Salvadoran elections are free, fair, and conducted under the most transparent conditions. Read More »