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October, 2006

Dear President Saca,

As the 15th anniversary of the Salvadoran Peace Accords approaches, we the undersigned are extremely concerned about the roll back of this historic agreement. It is deplorable that the government had made no serious effort to investigate the resurgence of death squad-style groups and serious violations of human rights, including:

• the murder of the elderly Manzanares, the parents of the historic community radio figure “Mariposa” on July 1st;
• the August 29th murder of two FMLN activists in Coatepeque;
• death threats sent to the water workers’ union SETA;
• the report from the Human Rights Ombudswoman citing evidence of “extermination groups” functioning within the National Civilian Police (PNC);
By refusing to investigate these crimes, the Salvadoran government is condoning these attacks on the population’s right to organize.

Meanwhile the Salvadoran government, through the PNC and the ministry of the interior, has attacked protestors and violated basic human rights. In the past three months, the police have illegally raided union offices and the campus of the National University and violently attacked protestors demanding water for their communities, while the military has illegally invaded the community of La Sabana in the Bajo Lempa. These acts of repression are reprehensible.

Despite these intimidation tactics, we know that people in El Salvador continue to organize and protest policies such as CAFTA and privatization that will worsen conditions for the poor majority in El Salvador. As concerned organizations from the US and around the world, we insist that you:

- Investigate and put and end to the death squad-style threats and murders;
- Reverse the militarization of the police, which is a direct violation of the Peace Accords;
- Repeal the anti-terrorism law and halt government repression of protest;
- Close the International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA).

Sincerely,

signers:

American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees - AFSCME
Local 3800 (Minnesota)
Campaign for Labor Rights - CLR
Carribean & Latin American Support Project – CLASP
Chicago-Cinquera Sister Cities
Coalition for World Peace - CFWP
Comites de Base Feliciana Ama, Che Guevara, Miguel Marmol (CA)
Community Action for Justice in the Americas – CAJA (Montana)
Communications Workers of America Local 9423 – CWA (California)
Canada-El Salvador Action Network - CELSAN (Vancouver, CA)
Critical Resistance (NY)
Food and Water Watch
Frente Continental (CA_
Global Exchange
Global Justice Ecology Project
Grassroots International
Green Action
Homies Unidos (CA)
International Longshore and Warehouse Union - ILWU
Immigrant Solidarity Network
Interconnect
Jews for Racial and Economic Justice (JFREG)
Korean-Americans for Peace
Latin America Society of California State University, L.A.- CSULA
Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area
Marin Interfaith Task Force
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
Mass Global Action
Mexico Solidarity Network – MSN
Mindanao Bangsamoro Caucus (CA)
Ministerio Hispano Oscar Romero (CA)
National Lawyers Guild, Los Angeles
Neighbors United for Justice and Peace
Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala – NISGUA
Nicaragua Center for Community Action (CA)
Nicaragua Network
Nicaragua Solidarity Chicago
Non Violence International
Office of the Americas (CA)
Peace Action
Peace through Interamerican Community Action – PICA (Maine)
Portland Central America Solidarity Committee - PCASC
Project South
Quixote Center/Quest for Peace
San Gabriel Valley Neighbors for Peace and Justice
San Francisco Day Labor Program
San Pedro Housing Committee
Save Our Schools
School of Americas Watch
School of Americas Watch West/SF
Stop Impunity Project
US Labor Education in the Americas Project – US LEAP
Voices on the Border
Young Koreans United of the USA – YKU

also contributing as individuals:

Cherrene Horazuk
Maria Pereira
Anne Eldred
Lisa Kowalchuk
Leyda Adams
Aris Anagnos
Frances Geteles-Shapiro
Jon Minton