Violence and Intimidation Against Environmental Activists Continues
January 25, 2012
Violence and intimidation against anti-mining activists and defenders of human rights continues in El Salvador.
On Friday, January 20th, Father Neftalí Ruiz, Salvadoran Catholic Priest, Secretary of the Board of Directors of the Cabañas Environmental Committee, and member of the National Working Group against Metallic Mining, opened his home to a group of university students who had expressed interest in his work. He was then tied up, intimidated, and robbed. The young men did not take anything of value other than Father Neftalí’s computer, and stated numerous times that they were looking for information.
At a Press Conference held by the National Working Group Against Mining on Tuesday, January 24th, David Pereira of CEICOM emphasized: “These acts are meant to intimidate us to weaken our resistance.”
Alluding to past cases, in which the Attorney General and police have tried to blame cases of death threats and violence against activists on common delinquency or gang violence, Father Neftalí explained that he has no enemies. “The only work I do is to defend mother nature, to preach the Gospel, and denounce injustices.” Catholic Bishop Monsignor Francisco Sol added: “We have shown that in our country, it is a crime to defend the interests of the vast majority.”
Finally, Father Neftalí had a direct plea: “I ask the National Civilian Police and the Attorney General, what are they going to do in this case? Since 2008 and 2009 I have reported death threats. What are they waiting for? For there to be more deaths, more bloodshed?” Read More »
Celebrating 2011!
December 15, 2011
As 2011 draws to a close, we look back on all of the amazing achievements that your solidarity has made possible. Thanks to you, and the support of hundreds of others, SHARE and our counterparts in El Salvador were able to:
Make the high school graduation of 23 young leaders possible! In a country where only 15% of the rural population reaches high school, this is a major achievement for young people and their families. - Support communities like San Simon and El Corozal in preparing for and adapting to climate change, including the creation of risk-prevention and disaster mitigation maps and plans, which helped prevent loss of life in the October 2011 deluge.
- Provide over 50 micro-loans for women’s economic initiatives, including a pig project with the Mujeres Ganaderas. Watch a video about their work here! Read More »
Spain Demands that El Salvador extradite military personnel processed for the massacre of the Jesuits
December 9, 2011
The Council of Ministers also resolved to request that the United States of America extradite the two other military personnel accused in the killing who reside in that country. One of the defense lawyers said that the call for extradition does not worry them because they are certain that the Supreme Court of Justice will deny the request.
Ignacio Ellacuria, SJ
By Efren Lemus
elfaro.net / Published December 2, 2011
Translated by Bethany Loberg. Original in Spanish here.
This Friday the Spanish Council of Ministers agreed to request that Salvadoran and U.S. authorities extradite 15 Salvadoran military personnel accused of participating in the assassination of six Jesuit priests and two of their collaborators, a crime which occurred the 16th of November of 1989.
Europa Press stated that in accordance with the proposal of the Spanish Minister of Justice, Francisco Caamaño, the Spanish government has emitted 13 requests for extradition from El Salvador and two from the United States. Caamaño presented the application for extradition at the request of the Supreme Court, the institution prosecuting the military personnel for the crimes of assassination, terrorism, and crimes against humanity. Read More »
El Mozote: Seeking Justice in Spite of the Amnesty Law
December 6, 2011
December 11th, 2011 marks the 30th anniversary of the El Mozote massacre – one of the largest, most brutal massacres in Latin America. As part of the military’s scorched earth campaign to remove any possible source of supplies for the guerrilla by killing entire rural villages, members of the armed forces entered El Mozote and the surrounding villages in December of 1981, rounding up, separating, and systematically killing men, women, and children. Through investigations including exhumations and testimonies, Tutela Legal, the San Salvador Archdiocese’s human rights office has identified 819 individuals killed in the massacre – over half under the age of twelve.
Thanks to Rufina Amaya’s tireless efforts to tell her story, as the sole survivor of the massacre, international news coverage, several rounds of exhumations of human remains, and the work of human rights organizations like Tutela Legal, the massacre can no longer be denied. El Mozote has become a well-known symbol of the brutality of the armed forces during the war.
The Salvadoran government, however, has not taken actions to investigate or bring to trial the intellectual and material authors of these brutal murders. To the contrary, since the peace accords, the army and government have paid homage to Colonel Domingo Monterrosa, a key leader in the massacre, on numerous occasions. As Gisela León of the Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL) stated in a recent interview, “The massacre of El Mozote represents the absolute impunity that all cases from the conflict are in.” Efforts at truth-telling and investigation, necessary elements in reaching reconciliation, have come solely from civil society.
Read More »
Thanksgiving Day Protest in Solidarity with the 99% Global Occupy Movement
November 26, 2011
On Thursday, November 24th, as people in the United States celebrate Thanksgiving, US citizens in El Salvador and Salvadorans gathered outside of the US Embassy to stand in solidarity with the global “Occupy” and “Indignados” movements. Their demands include an end to neoliberal, capitalist free trade policies, the militarization of the Central American region, and environmental destruction that has led to climate change. Tedde Simon, SHARE staffer, (right) said of the morning: “This is a symbolic event to express our solidarity with the millions of people around the world that have stood up to say, BASTA!, enough. We believe that a better world is possible, and we are working together to create it, every day.”
Read about How the Occupy Movement Came to El Salvador here!
The group published the following press release:
Capitalist globalization has forced governments all over the world to prioritize the economic interests of the richest 1% of the global population over basic needs such as education, health care and employment for the other 99% of humanity.
Faced with a corrupt democratic process, staggering social inequality and an ecological crisis which threatens life itself, the 99% has risen up against this injustice in over 1,500 cities all over the world, through the Occupy Movement in the United States and the Indignados Movement in Spain and other European countries, and through a wealth of local and national alternatives in Latin America and around the world. Read More »
San Simon: Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Change Adaptability
November 4, 2011
In the past two years, El Salvador has been hit by five extreme climate events: Tropical Storm Ida in 2009, Hurricanes Agatha, Alex and Matthew in 2010, and Tropical Depression 12E in 2011. For communities and leaders in El Salvador, climate change is not up for debate – it is already taking a devastating toll on crops, infrastructure and human life.
Watch a video about sustainable agriculture and climate change adaptability in San Simon here!
As the effects of climate change become increasingly pronounced, it is the populations of countries like El Salvador that are being hit first and hit hardest. Unpredictable and increasingly extreme weather patterns are threatening the immediate food security and long-term struggle to overcome poverty of vulnerable communities throughout El Salvador. With this in mind, SHARE began to work with REDES in 2009, after Tropical Storm Ida, to work towards reducing risk in future disasters. Read More »
