Archbishop Romero at Ninety: “Cease the Repression” – August 15, 2007

Archbishop Romero at Ninety: “Cease the Repression”

 

August 15, 2007

In honor of Archbishop Romero’s birthday today, hundreds gathered this morning in San Salvador in commemoration of the Archbishop.  The protesters, members of the Salvadoran social movement and civil society, are once again calling for an end to repression, 27 years after Romero made a similar call.  Leaders of on of the organizations organizing the activity, CRIPDES, stated “Today we make his words our words, and we demand respect for our constitutional rights, liberty of expression, and the cessation of repression and the implementation of unjust and authoritarian laws.”

Archbishop Romero would be turning 90 today, and this morning a solemn procession marched from the Hospital de la Divina Providencia, the site of Romero’s assassination, to the National Cathedral in downtown San Salvador, where Romero is buried.  The streets of San Salvador rang again today with his immortal words delivered to the Salvadoran Armed Forces on March 23, 1980, which would seal his assassination one day later: “In the name of God, and in the name of this long suffering people, I implore you, I beg you, I order you in the name of God, cease the repression.”

The repression that leaders of CRIPDES refer to include the Salvadoran antiterrorism law, passed last year, and its application to the 13 people captured in and around Suchitoto on July 2, and being tried for terrorism for their participation in a demonstration in that city.  All thirteen face 40 to 60 years in prison.  It was Archbishop Romero, in that same homily one day before his assassination, who said “nobody has to obey an immoral law.”

The protesters also criticized the proposed reforms to Article 348 of the Salvadoran Penal Code, which would increase the penalties for those convicted of “public disorder,” which includes blocking roads or occupying buildings.  In July, the Saca administration presented a reform to the Legislative Assembly that would have increased the penalties for public disorder from 6 months – 2 years (currently) to 5-10 year penalties for “Attacks on Public Peace,” with a maximum sentence of 15 years.

The ARENA party was unable to secure the votes necessary to pass the Executive Branch proposal, but a counter-proposal by the right wing PCN party will likely be presented to the Legislative Assembly floor for vote this Thursday, and the Prensa Grafica reports that the reform is expected to have the votes necessary to pass, even without the approval of the FMLN and other left wing parties.  The reform would make “public disorder” punishable with 2-4 years of prison, and “aggravated public disorder” punishable with 4-8 years.  Also, those responsible for organizing disorders could face up to 12 years in prison, a stiffer penalty than the ten years given to those convicted of homicide in El Salvador.

On top of civil society concerns stemming from the rolling back of constitutional rights, in recent weeks leading Salvadoran newspapers in El Salvador have reported on a series of incidents that raise serious questions about the operations of the Salvadoran Civilian Police and Attorney General’s office, and the Attorney General Félix Garrid Safie.  Amongst those concerns is the Attorney General’s acceptance that there are extermination groups probably linked to businessmen and the National Police.  Likewise, Amnesty International reports physical and psychological ill-treatment by Police of detainees in the events in Suchitoto and voices concern about the Attorney General’s use of the terrorism law to curb peaceful dissent.  In addition, recent statements by the Attorney General that the assassination of three Salvadoran Senators of the Central American Congress (PARLACEN in Spanish) in Guatemala assert that the it was simply a mistaken assassination, while new evidence makes clear it was a premeditated crime, possibly linked to Guatemalan and Salvadoran government functionaries and drug deals.  Finally, the electronic newspaper El Faro raised concern about Safie´s handling of the trail involving the ex-government functionary Mario Orellana in which the Attorney General gave him protected witness status in a case of corruption against former leaders of the Government water company ANDA, when in fact Orellana´s own testimony implicates him as one of the principal perpetrators in that corruption case.  In every one of the previous cases, fair and thorough investigation, transparency, and institutional autonomy from political interests appear to be at risk.

Civil rights and institutional autonomy, transparency and democratization were important goals of the 1992 Salvadoran Peace Accords, yet recent events in El Salvador and an increasingly polarized political climate threaten those goals.  With the 2009 elections looming in the not so distant future, and the democratic process at stake, it is a decisive moment in El Salvador’s post-war history.  Likewise as our own political system wallows in the aftermath of lies that led us into two wars, politically motivated federal prosecutor firings, and an Administration that shrugs off the Constitution, transparency and human rights while obstructing justice, its worth re-examining our own path, and how it intertwines with our neighbors to the South.

As Romero said, “It scares me…when repressive laws and violent attitudes take away the legitimate escape of the people that need to protest.  What happens to the pot that is boiling and doesn’t have any escape valves?  It can explode.  There is still time to give a voice to our people through the protest they desire.  As long as at the same time there is justice that regulates it.  Because naturally brothers, when we defend these just aspirations, we are not being partial to terrorist demands….The call is simply to understand each other, to dialogue, for justice, and for love.”  (Homily March 19, 1978)

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