Action needed!
On October 10, 2007, the Government of El Salvador was called before the Inter American Commission on Human Rights (IAHRC) to report on its advances in the Romeo case. In 2000, the IAHRC called for the government to accept responsibility for the assassination of Archbishop Romero and recommended that the government:
- Carry out a comprehensive, impartial and effective judicial investigation in a timely manner to identify, judge and sanction all of the material and intellectual authors of the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero;
- Make amends for the consequences of the assassination, including just reparations for damages;
- Adapt Salvadoran internal legislation to the guidelines of the American Convention, thereby stripping the 1993 General Amnesty Law of its effects.
The government has not complied with any of these recommendations. Instead, in October it initiated a dialogue with Archbishop Saenz Lacalle of San Salvador, a dialogue outside of the Commission's recommendations. The Salvadoran Government is using this dialogue as evidence of its efforts to resolve the Romero case and to comply with the Commission's recommendations.
Salvadoran civil society is urging the IAHRC to highlight El Salvador’s failure to comply with the recommendations in hopes that international pressure will encourage the government to follow through.
But Salvadorans need your support!
Please send a letter from yourself, or better yet, from your church, school or community group to the IAHRC. See below for a sample letter. Fax the letter to 202.458.3992. If you are unable to fax the letter, email it to cidhoea@oas.org.
Contact SHARE with any questions at 202.319.5542 or tcl@share-elsalvador.org.
Thank you for your accompaniment of the people of El Salvador.
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(E-mail: cidhoea@oas.org Fax: (202) 458-3992)
Insert Date
Dr. Santiago Canton, Executive Secretary
Inter American Human Rights Commission
1889 F Street, N.W.
Washington , D.C. 20006
Dear Dr. Canton:
Since Archbishop Oscar Romero was assassinated in 1980, we have closely followed the processes initiated to bring those responsible for his death to justice. Most recently, we have observed with interest the conversation before the Inter American Human Rights Commission (IAHRC) regarding the Government of El Salvador’s lack of compliance on recommendations handed down by the Commission in 2000.
In an April 13, 2000 report, the IAHRC found the State of El Salvador responsible for the extrajudicial killing of Archbishop Oscar Romero. Yet on October 10, 2007, over seven years later, the government continued to refuse to accept responsibility at IAHRC hearings in Washington, D.C.We are gravely concerned about the government’s lack of willingness to comply with three specific recommendations of the IAHRC, which are that the Government of El Salvador:
- Carry out a comprehensive, impartial and effective judicial investigation in a timely manner to identify, judge and sanction all of the material and intellectual authors of the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero;
- Make amends for the consequences of the assassination, including just reparations for damages;
- Adapt Salvadoran internal legislation to the guidelines of the American Convention, thereby stripping the 1993 General Amnesty Law of its effects.
During the October 10, 2007 hearing, the Salvadoran government announced that it had initiated a dialogue with the Archbishop of San Salvador in order to reach an agreement on the Romero case. While we are heartened to see the government’s desire to bring resolution to the case, we are concerned about the process and content of the dialogue and prefer to see the government fulfill the recommendations in a transparent and straightforward manner, as articulated by the IAHRC.
Consequently, we write to you today to ask respectfully that the IAHRC:
- Make a declaration regarding the Salvadoran government’s continued refusal to comply with the Commission’s recommendations, most recently articulated on October 10, 2007 at the IAHRC hearing in Washington, D.C.;
- Include the Romero case in its next report for the Organization of American States General Assembly meeting. This report would express El Salvador’s failure to comply with the IAHRC recommendations and highlight its contempt of the Commission and process.
The case of Archbishop Oscar Romero is an emblematic one for El Salvador and touches on the most pressing issues any post-conflict society faces: historical clarification, impunity, reparations, and forgiveness. For many Salvadorans, the resolution of the Romero case and the Salvadoran Government’s acceptance of responsibility for the archbishop’s death would be an enormous step towards justice and reconciliation.
The IAHRC plays a vitally important role in this process. Countless victims of human rights violations have brought their cases before the Commission when they have been unable to access justice in their own countries. After seven years, the family of Archbishop Romero and the people of El Salvador continue to place their hope in the IAHRC and await the Commission’s next steps in this matter.
Sincerely, Your name and community name
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