Join the international solidarity campaign for the Santa Marta 5!

On January 11, 2023, five water defenders from the organized community of Santa Marta were arrested and charged with a crime allegedly committed more than 30 years ago during the Salvadoran civil war. The five environmental activists were instrumental in the historic campaign that made El Salvador the first and only country in the world to ban metallic mining in 2017, following a decade of organizing. As the Nayib Bukele government shows signs of wanting to overturn the ban, environmentalists warn that the charges are politically motivated and an attempt to suppress the anti-mining movement.

Since the Santa Marta 5 were charged, hundreds of international organizations, academics and attorneys have called for their immediate release and for the charges to be dropped, including the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, 17 representatives of the U.S. Congress, and members of the Spanish Congress. In January, 185 prominent lawyers and academics from 30 countries called on the Attorney General to drop the charges, and in February, 245 organizations from 31 countries did the same.

Despite a lack of any physical evidence linking the water defenders to the supposed crime, the trial is scheduled to begin on October 8 - and it is critical that we let the Salvadoran government know that the whole world is watching.

Get Involved!

1) Take the pledge: We have set a goal to get 1,000 people from around the world to pledge to take action this month if the Santa Marta 5 are not acquitted. If you haven’t signed the pledge for the water defenders, please do so here!

2) Social media solidarity posts: Make the case visible on social media & make sure the community knows we have their back! As the trial approaches, one of the most important things we can do is show the Salvadoran government that all eyes are on them. You can show your solidarity with the Santa Marta 5 by participating in the international social media campaign!

Write a brief statement of solidarity like:

• Drop the charges against the Santa Marta 5!
• ¡Retiren los cargos contra los Santa Marta 5!
• International solidarity is with the Santa Marta 5!
• The diaspora is watching! Free the #SantaMarta5 of all charges!
• Keep El Salvador metallic mining-free!

Take a picture OR make a short video with your sign

Post on social media with the following hashtags: #SantaMartaNoEstaSola  #ComunidadSantaMarta #ADESNoEstáSola

Tag the following orgs on Twitter: @stopesmining @acafremin @CSantaMarta1987 @ades_sm@no_mineria_sv @cispes_solidarity 
(On Facebook: @ComunidadSanta Marta, @Mesa Nacional frente a la Minería Metálica en El Salvador, @International Allies Against Mining, @acafremin, @ADES Santa Marta)

Check out these examples for inspiration from CISPES on X and Instagram

Please also feel free to share the social media graphics to uplift our campaign! Available here

3) Attend or host an event: If you’re part of an organization, join other international groups by hosting a movie screening or tabling on campus or at a community event or organizing a vigil before or during the trial to help spread the word! Check out our Toolkit for materials, resources, and pointers.

For more information, check out some of these resources:

Solidarity with El Salvador's Santa Marta 5 Grows Across Borders | NACLA
Minera Titán, la empresa que acecha para llevarse el oro de El Salvador – Voz Pública (vozpublica.net)
Threat of Metal Mining Returns to El Salvador, Organizations Warn | CISPES: Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador
State of Deception: Fact Finding Report