From: Human Rights Coordinator <hrcoord@igc.apc.org>
Newsgroups: soc.rights.human
Date: 02 Sep 92 06:14 PDT
Subject: salpress threatened
Nf-ID: #N:cdp:1476700417:000:5604
Nf-From: cdp.UUCP!hrcoord    Sep  2 06:14:00 1992


From: Human Rights Coordinator <hrcoord>
Subject: salpress threatened

/* Written  1:38 pm  Sep  1, 1992 by cispesnatl in cdp:reg.elsalvador */

                    Salpress Threatened Again
                  Human Rights Abuses Escalate

     Less than two months after arson destroyed the offices of
Salpress, the Salvadoran news agency is receiving threats once
more.  On August 27, an anonymous caller warned that "Salpress will
burn again," and the following day a caller threatened the life of
Salpress Director Ricardo Gomez.  The threats have created an
atmosphere of tension and insecurity in the office, making it
impossible for workers to function effectively.  Meanwhile, the
investigation into the July 2 fire has made virtually no progress. 
There has been no official report from any government agency, and
officials have interviewed no one but Salpress staff.
     The threats against Salpress come amidst the worst wave of
violence to hit El Salvador since the beginning of the cease fire
on February 1.  According to the human rights group CODEFAM, 39
people were assassinated in the month of August alone, and another
7 disappeared.  In addition, there have been a number of searches
and attacks against members of the FMLN and grassroots
organizations, as well as an attack on a member of the staff of the
Human Rights Ombudsman and an assault several days later against
his wife.
     The government has attempted to dismiss the attacks as
incidents of common crime.  While it is true that El Salvador is
experiencing a crime wave, many of the victims bore characteristic
signs of death squad murders, their thumbs tied behind their backs
and their tortured bodies dumped in public places.  Opposition
activists charge that the government is deliberately allowing
common crime to go unchecked in an effort to create the impression
of generalized chaos.  "They want to cloak the dirty war in common
crime," explained FMLN leader Francisco Veliz.  
     Many of the victims were involved in controversial land or
labor disputes, a further indication that the attacks are
politically motivated.  Interestingly, military and police officers
have been targeted as well; the most prominent victim was Mauricio
Quintanilla Abrego, a lawyer who worked with military intelligence
and acted as adviser to Gen. Mauricio Vargas, the Army's
representative to last year's peace negotiations between the
government and the FMLN.  Vice Minister of Defense Orlando Zepeda
called the killing typical of a "dirty war," and implied that the
FMLN was responsible.  Archbishop Arturo Rivera y Damas, however,
blamed members of the Army opposed to the peace process.  He
pointed out that the kidnappers were equipped with walkie-talkies,
and that the victim was abducted from an area with a constant
military presence.  In characteristic death squad style, the
killers dragged their victim into a vehicle with polarized windows,
and left his body with the thumbs tied together.  
     The increased violence comes as two human rights commissions
created in accordance with the peace agreements are moving forward
with investigations which are almost certain to implicate top
ranking Army officers.  The Ad Hoc Commission, whose mandate is to
review the records of military officers, recently requested a one-
month extension in order to compile more evidence.  The Truth
Commission, responsible for investigating the most serious human
rights cases, opened its doors to the public in order to hear
testimony from survivors.  Thirty names have been presented to the
Ad-Hoc Commission in connection with the murder of six Jesuit
priests in 1989, and the non-governmental Human Rights Commission
(CDHES) submitted a list of 78 officers, including Zepeda and
Vargas, who are accused of violating human rights.  According to
FMLN Commander Joaquin Villalobos, the Army may be experiencing
"internal problems" as a result of the commissions' investigations. 
Denying any FMLN involvement in the Quintanilla killing, Villalobos
called the crime a "clear intimidation operation combined with a
dirty war." 
     The work of the Truth Commission and the Ad Hoc Commission is
essential to the peace process.  If peace is to last, officers
responsible for human rights abuses must be removed from positions
of power.  Clearly, this is precisely what the guilty parties hope
to avoid.  The attacks against Salpress may also be connected to
efforts by the Army to sabotage the work of the Truth Commission
and the Ad Hoc Commission.  After the July 2 fire, the non-
governmental Human Rights Commission (CDHES) suggested that the
motive may have been the destruction of archives covering twelve
years of civil war, which could have been used by the Commissions
to document human rights abuses by the Army.  
     International pressure has been a key factor in the peace
process thus far, and it can play an important role preventing
further attacks against Salpress, and in halting the Army's dirty
war.  

Suggested Action:

Call your Congresspersons and: 

1)  urge them to call President Alfredo Cristiani to express
concern over the threats against Salpress, and push the government
to investigate the July 2 Salpress fire and the current threats.

2)  urge them to vote to end all military aid.  Senators should be
encouraged to sign on to the Specter/De Concini letter, which calls
for the transfer of all military aid into the Demobilization and
Transition Fund (see earlier alerts for details).  Representatives
should be urged to support a conferenced bill containing language
similar to that in the letter.


Xref: sparky soc.rights.human:3273 soc.culture.yugoslavia:8475