For immediate release
August 13, 2024

Media contact: Alexis Stoumbelis, [email protected],  +1 202-981-7381

Seventy organizations from thirteen countries released a statement today calling for the immediate release of ten members of the Alliance for a Peaceful El Salvador and a community journalist who were arrested on May 30 and 31 of this year. Read the full English statement here. (Spanish text here).

The statement’s release follows an unfavorable ruling from the First Court Against Organized Crime, Judge Three of San Salvador, denying the request for one of the arrested Alliance leaders, Jose Santos Melara, to be released to house arrest in light of his advanced age and declining health; said judge also previously denied a similar petition for Atilio Montalvo, a negotiator of the 1992 Peace Accords.

Santos and Montalvo were arrested after having announced plans for peaceful protests against the June 1 inauguration of Nayib Bukele for an unconstitutional second term.

In the statement groups, representing Salvadorans in the diaspora as well as faith, human rights, and international solidarity organizations, condemned the arrests as “another disturbing instance of political persecution that continues to rise in El Salvador, curtailing fundamental democratic freedoms,” since, as they claim, the Bukele government’s accusations against the leaders are without reliable evidence.

The international organizations, ranging from the American Association of Jurists to the Presbyterian Church (USA)’s Office of Public Witness, decried the charges as “attempts by the Bukele government to silence dissent and, even more concerningly, convince the population that opposition groups pose a danger to them, a tactic reminiscent of military dictatorships in El Salvador and others around the world.”

Family members and defense attorneys report that Montalvo, Melara and others are not receiving adequate access to treatment for conditions such as kidney disease, diabetes and hypertension. The groups warn that by denying their release on house arrest, the Bukele government risks “committing crimes against humanity” by violating the life, physical integrity, health and dignity of the detainees.

For this reason, and referencing the fragile health of Atilio Montalvo, José Santos Melara, and others, the organizations called for their immediate release, as their continued detention in Salvadoran prisons puts their lives at risk.

Catherine Gordon, of the Presbyterian Church (USA) Office of Public Witness, stated: “In 2022, the PC(USA)'s own report on El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras highlighted the growing authoritarian tendencies of the Bukele administration. As we maintain our commitment to supporting the rights of Central Americans, democracy and the rule of law, we are deeply concerned by the accelerating march towards authoritarianism in El Salvador with the unjust detention of political rivals and the consolidation of power under an unconstitutional presidency.

“These political prisoners are just some of the many detained unjustly under the Bukele administration over the past several years. As the recent report from regional NGO Cristosal suggests, these measures are increasingly targeting activists and human rights defenders, and the threat of detention or state violence has become a driving force of internal displacement and international migration.”

Vicki Gass of the Latin America Working Group stated:  “What should be a temporary emergency measure according to the Salvadoran Constitution is now permanent government policy. Under the State of Exception, tens of thousands of Salvadorans have been arrested without cause, denied due process, and suffered grave human rights violations. Over 260 people have died under suspicious circumstances while wrongfully detained and families are prohibited from visiting their loved ones. The arrest of the Alianza leaders, several of whom are elderly and in poor health, is one more example of the government using this draconian policy to target its critics.”

Alexis Stoumbelis of the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador stated: “The recent ruling denying appeals for alternative measures is another alarming affirmation of the deterioration of the so-called justice system in El Salvador, which the Bukele government has converted to a political weapon and an instrument of social control. The families of innocent people detained under the State of Exception have been abandoned and abused by the state institutions that should be intervening in favor of justice and their rights, turning social movement leaders, such as those of the Alianza Nacional El Salvador en Paz, into the last line of defense for these people. But the world is watching and denouncing the fact that these defenders are now also being imprisoned without evidence. Our message to those who are facing persecution for speaking out against government abuses is that you are not alone."

Statement by La Nación Salvadoreña en el Exterior

"As Salvadorans living abroad who are committed to democracy, we strongly challenge the de facto Bukele government and its attacks against social leaders, including Atilio Montalvo, a negotiator of the historic Peace Accords that ended decades of military dictatorship and ushered in a representative democracy. We have worked hand in hand with the leadership of the Alianza Nacional El Salvador en Paz for years and they have always conducted their grassroots activities in a peaceful manner. We know them personally. Prior to Bukele's illegal assumption of power, he had them arrested on false and fabricated charges of terrorism. This is yet another attempt to silence those who denounce and unmask the failure of Bukele's demagogic government."