The family of Atilio Montalvo, a historic leader of the leftist Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN), and signer of the 1992 Peace Accords has spoken out, demanding his release. Montalvo was arrested on May 31, along with seven other leaders of the Alliance for a Peaceful El Salvador (Alianza Nacional El Salvador en Paz). The Alliance has been vocal about its opposition to Nayib Bukele's attacks on human rights and the democratic process and the arrest of its leaders, all former guerrilla fighters and military veterans, came on the eve of Bukele's inaguration for an unconstitutional second presidential term. 

Read CISPES's statement about the arrests here. 

Click here to send a message urging Congress and the State Department to call for their immediate release.

Find CISPES's translation of the family's statement, as well as the original statement, below.  

TO THE NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL PRESS, THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY, AND HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS

We would like to inform you that José Atilio Montalvo, an economist and signer of the El Salvador Peace Accords, was detained in the early hours on Friday, May 31, 2024 in his family’s home in the La Cima neighborhood of San Salvador.

José Atilio Montalvo is in a dire state of health as he is a diabetic and, in November 2023, he suffered an ischemic stroke that left him with speaking difficulties and balance issues. In addition, at the end of April 2024, he suffered a heart attack which resulted in kidney failure and required him to be on dialysis regularly.

Due to José Atilio Montalvo’s clearly declining health, he has not been able to participate in, organize or mobilize any protest or attack, which are his alleged offenses.

Therefore, as a family, we would like to share the following points with you:

1) José Atilio Montalvo is innocent of the charges that appear in the media about his involvement in alleged attacks on the June 1st presidential inauguration.

2) José Atilio Montalvo has become yet another victim of El Salvador’s ongoing State of Exception.

3) As a family we are very concerned about the state of his health. We ask the judicialand security authorities to attend to José Atilio Montalvo’s medical condition as soon as possible.

4) We hold the director of the National Civil Police, Mauricio Arriaza Chicas, the Office of the Attorney General of the Republic, and the Government of El Salvador, responsible for any complication in his health.

5) As a family, we demand his prompt and rightful release.

Signed,
The Montalvo Family
June 2024