With the threats against Radio Cadena Mi Gente, the murder of Salvador Sánchez, and the recent assassination of Wilber Moises Funes - mayor of the town of Alegria from the FMLN party still unresolved, PNC Director Ávila resigned his position on January 25 in order to run for the presidency of El Salvador. Ávila is one of 18 candidates vying for the nomination of the right-wing ARENA party.

Despite frequently referencing his governments work in defense of liberty, Antonio Saca, President of El Salvador and a radio station mogul himself, has yet to denounce the threats made against Radio Cadena Mi Gente. The radio station, which has only been on the air for a year, already enjoys broad support, having established itself as one of the few media outlets that is independent of the ruling ARENA party.

Civil society and the FMLN pressure ARENA to repeal salary increase for Legislative Assembly deputies

Last Friday, January 18, the legislative factions of the ARENA and PCN parties joined forces to approve a $1,800-$2,900 increase in the monthly salary of Legislative Assembly deputies. With this raise, Assembly President Rubén Orellana, a member of the PCN, would earn more that $8,600 monthly. This amount is exactly 100 times the average monthly income of a Salvadoran agricultural worker.

The raise was approved by the Board of Directors of the Legislative Assembly without the participation of members of the leftist FMLN party, which declared the salary increase both illegal and immoral. The FMLN immediately called for the repeal of the salary increase, and its deputies in the Legislative Assembly committed to invest their own additional income in various social efforts, including hospitals and scholarships for students.

The FMLNs candidate for the 2009 presidential elections, Mauricio Funes, publicly judged the raise to be alarming and illegal. Funes also presented official correspondence to the Legislative Assembly denouncing the hypocrisy of the right-wing parties approval of such a dramatic salary increase after approving only a $10 increase to the monthly minimum wage at the end of 2007.

In that same vein, popular organizations such as the Salvadoran Union Front (FSS) came out against the salary increase. The FSS stated that the raise is a slap in the face for the thousands of families that survive on the minimum wage. This opinion coincides with the outrage the public has expressed through media outlets. Many Salvadorans note that the salary increase would be financed by their taxes, while they themselves continue to face an economic crisis.

Despite popular sentiment, members of ARENA initially declined to comment on the salary increase. However, two days after the raise was announced, President Saca said that it will be necessary to revise the increase. Finally on Thursday the right-wing parties bowed to the pressure and voted along with the FMLN to rescind the law which had authorized the increase.

FMLN commemorates the second anniversary of the death of Schafik Handal

The FMLN commemorated the death of its historic leader, Schafik Handal, on January 24 with a series of activities in honor of his life and contributions to the revolutionary process in El Salvador. Handal died of a heart attack two years ago.

The principal activity in tribute to Handal, the partys 2004 presidential candidate, was an open tribunal. FMLN party leadership dedicated this tribunal to Handal in recognition of his role in initiating the open tribunal tradition while serving in the Legislative Assembly. The FMLNs ongoing weekly tribunals provide a forum for party leaders and lawmakers to meet regularly with the public to report on government issues.

In this special tribunal, members of the FMLN provided a report on the partys current work at the municipal and legislative levels, and on the state of the party. Violeta Menjívar, Mayor of San Salvador, described various projects that the FMLNs municipal governments around the country have carried out. Among these projects, a highlight was the importation of fuel from Venezuela. This initiative, carried out by the FMLNs mayors, has allowed citizens to purchase fuel at below-market level prices.

On behalf of the FMLNs faction in the Legislative Assembly, Salvador Sánchez Ceren, deputy and vice-presidential candidate, presented a report on recently-approved laws that will benefit the population. Sánchez Ceren also emphasized the importance of next years municipal and legislative elections. It is necessary, he said, for the FMLN to win a majority in the Assembly to prevent a coalition of the ARENA and the PCN parties from approving more right-wing projects such as the Anti-Terrorist Law, the CAFTA free trade deal, and the ILEA police academy.

Take action to protest Anti-Terrorism law before hearing of Suchitoto 13

Go here to defend those being charged with terrorism in El Salvador!

February 8 marks an important date for the 13 protesters arrested in July of last year in the town of Suchitoto and charged under El Salvadors anti-terrorism law. The judge in the case has given the prosecution until that date to present evidence, at which point she will transfer the evidence to the defense and schedule a hearing for the defendants. CISPES and other US-based organizations have been pressuring the Salvadoran government to drop the charges, and carried out a successful week of action in mid-January. Various Congressional Representatives are sending letters to President Saca to express concern about the human rights situation in El Salvador, and a delegation of social movement representatives from El Salvador met with House and Senate members this week, as well as the secretary general of the Organization of American States, to further denounce recent government repression, political violence, and questionable electoral reforms passed by the right-wing parties.