Solidarity Actions to Demand Freedom for the 5 Water Defenders of Santa Marta and ADES - El Salvador
January 11th marks the first anniversary of the detentionof 5 members of the community of Santa Marta and ADES who were charged an allegedmurder that occurred 34 years ago in the context of the Salvadorean Civil War.The community leaders are also known internationally as Water Defenders who forover 12 years played a key role in the national campaign that led to the prohibition of mining in El Salvador in 2017.
Environmental and social movement organizations in El Salvador were quick to point that the detention was politically motivated as the Attorney Generalhad failed to provide evidence and that the Salvadorean Government has been fora while taking steps to revert the mining ban in order to attract foreigninvestment for its failing economy. The national and international outcrythat ensued forced the government to release the defenders into house arrest,after been incarcerated for more than 8 months without access to a lawyer,without family visits and their health deteriorating due to the lack of medicalattention.
While the defense team has continued to press the judge to drop thecharges based on the lack of evidence and provisions of the 1992 NationalReconciliations Law, both the judge of Sensuntepeque and the appeals court havefailed to rule in favor of the Water Defenders and a court hearing is set to bescheduled sometime in march.
Environmental and social movement organizations in El Salvador were quick to point that the detention was politically motivated as the Attorney Generalhad failed to provide evidence and that the Salvadorean Government has been fora while taking steps to revert the mining ban in order to attract foreigninvestment for its failing economy. The national and international outcrythat ensued forced the government to release the defenders into house arrest,after been incarcerated for more than 8 months without access to a lawyer,without family visits and their health deteriorating due to the lack of medicalattention.
While the defense team has continued to press the judge to drop thecharges based on the lack of evidence and provisions of the 1992 NationalReconciliations Law, both the judge of Sensuntepeque and the appeals court havefailed to rule in favor of the Water Defenders and a court hearing is set to bescheduled sometime in march.
Fact Finding Report on the Detained El Salvador Water Defenders, Mining, and the State of Human Rights under the Bukele Administration
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Last october, a delegation of 12 human rights activists from the US and
Canada travelled to El Salvador to learn about the 5 Santa Marta and
ADES Water Defenders detained in El Salvador. The found that the
arbitrary arrest of the Santa Marta 5 is deeply concerning as they
violate both El Salvador’s internationally recognized Peace Agreement
and the National Reconciliation Law, both signed in 1992. The five water
defenders were FMLN combatants during the 1980-1992 civil war in El
Salvador. Without credible evidence, they have been charged with murder,
unlawful deprivation of liberty, and unlawful association – alleged
crimes that took place 33 years ago within the context of the civil war.
Water protectors in El Salvador say these arrests are politically
motivated and a strategy to demobilize strong community opposition to
mining at this critical moment.