Anti-Terrorism Law Applied
to Peaceful Water Privatization Protesters
On July 2nd people involved in social
movements, activists and concerned citizens took to the streets
of Suchitoto to protest the “Decentralization Policy”,
which President Tony Saca had come to announce. It is widely understood
that this policy is a back-door way towards privatization of water
and other public services.
Peaceful protesters were met by the UMO (Unidad del Mantenimiento
del Orden), equivalent to Riot Police, who fired rubber bullets
and threw tear gas in an attempt to disperse the crowd. Four people
from the Association for the Development of El Salvador (CRIPDES)
were arrested on their way to the protest, including Lorena Martinez
and Rosa Centeno, President and Vice President of the organization,
respectively. The police arrested 14 people in total.
The arrested were flown by helicopter to a police station in
Cojutapeque. Arrestees reported that police threatened to throw
them out of the helicopter and into Lake Suchitlan below. These
threats touch close to home for Salvadorans who lived through the
war and lost countrymen in this very same way. The Human Rights
Ombudsman, Oscar Luna, called for an investigation of the police
who threatened those arrested and of those police who ruthlessly
beat the protesters.
Prison
On Saturday July 7 th the 13 political prisoners, who came to
be known as the Suchi 13, were sentenced to three months of preventative
detention to allow the prosecutor time to gather more evidence.
The judge released one man; after it was determined he had only
been providing aid to other injured protesters. Specialized Judge
for Organized Crime, Ana Lucia Fuentes de Paz, is presiding over
the case in a new court established by the anti-terrorism law,
which came into affect September 21 2006 . Under this law jail
time can reach 60 years.
The Co-Latino reported that the political prisoners
faced degrading, insupportable conditions within the prison. In
particular, the six women political prisoners’ were treated
horribly: they received no medical attention, were forced to sleep
on the floor without sheets and were threatened by the guards.
FMLN deputies who were able to visit the women reported they were
suffering from infections, rashes, lice, and other hardships due
to unhygienic conditions.
Public’s Response
On the 7 th of July despite widespread fears of continued repression,
people marched from Salvador del Mundo to the Court house to show
their support of the political prisoners and to exercise their
right to peacefully protest. In a week long vigil people including
the Medardo Gómez, the Lutheran Bishop, gathered in Salvador
del Mundo to demonstrate their support for the imprisoned. Youth
sympathizers of the FMLN illustrated their solidarity for the 13
in a 3 day festival.
National and International social organizations responded quickly,
working together to put Suchitoto and the human rights violations
in the International eye. A Dear Colleague letter was
drafted in a joint effort by several NGO’s and signed by
41 members of the USA House of Representatives supporting non-violent
protest and human rights in El Salvador .
Provisional Freedom
The political prisoners were released with provisional liberty on
July 27 th and are set to face trail in early October. The afternoon
of their release, people from all over the country gathered to show
support. According to the “El Salvador Citizens not Terrorist
Campaign”, President of CRIPDES, Lorena Martinez, thanked the
crowd for their support and then commented on the Salvadoran Government’s
strategy: “First one year ago with the case of Belloso, and
most recently this past July 2nd, our government has begun a clear
strategy of terror on the part of the State…. These most recent
actions and arrests have removed the mask from the government rhetoric,
and are nothing more than a reflection of [President] Saca’s
fear. He is under immense pressure from the elite of our country
to protect the economic system, and for this reason he is afraid
of our struggles to ensure that Suchitoto always has drinking water,
to ensure that all communities have a legal right to land, and to
create a country where every person fits, with justice and dignity.
This time the government has made a mistake, because every day we
spent in jail was a day that the eyes of the world were fixed on
his malicious intentions.”
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