Feb
Human Rights
About the clandestine graves in El Salvador
(LEA EL ORIGINAL EN ESPAÑOL AQUÍ)
This is a translation of an Op Ed written by José María Tojeira, former dean of the Central American University (UCA):
The great massacres almost always required clandestine graves. Many of them were discovered after the wars that provoked such killings. This is how the Nazis acted in vast areas of Eastern Europe against Jews and Gypsies, or the Soviets in Polish areas or on their own territory when Stalin exterminated his opponents. The Nazis, worried about leaving no trace, soon changed the mass graves of the extermination camps (not all of them) for crematorium ovens. Today the Nazi concentration camps have become a kind of centers for reflection, authentic sanctuaries, of “never again”. However, mass graves continued to be frequent in various wars of the 20th century, after World War II, from Yugoslavia to Cambodia, passing through many other places, including Latin America. On a much smaller scale, mass graves are still present in some countries as a sign that homicidal madness is not extirpated from human history. One of these countries is ours, El Salvador.
Mass graves, regardless of their size, always presuppose a criminal organization that will always be broader than we can imagine, if we count those who collaborate, remain silent or do not dare to speak. That is why it is essential to reflect on the subject. In a short interval of time, we have seen in El Salvador the appearance of two clandestine graves. One with approximately 20 bodies and another with 26, according to official information. In the case of the first, one of the alleged perpetrators was quickly captured, since he had it in his own home. Initially there was talk of a network, but soon silence fell on the investigation and the captured person was given the status of “witness with benefits“. In the case of the second, there is no more information on the authorship, connections and accomplices necessary to have that kind of cemetery so close to densely populated areas of the city.
On the other hand, we know that there are extermination groups in the country, in which hit men, some policemen or ex-policemen, and some merchants and medium-sized businessmen come together. In pure rational logic, it is not difficult to establish a link between the graves and the existence of illegal extermination groups, benefited undoubtedly by such graves. Although homicides have fallen ostensibly in the country, this double presence of clandestine groups and graves shows the strength of organized crime and its capacity for action that should be the object of priority investigation and transparent public information.
Specific crimes may suffer reductions, but that a power parallel to the State has the possibility of killing with impunity and “managing” clandestine graves or cemeteries over time, indicates a vulnerability in citizen security that is truly dangerous. And more so in these times of tension in which hatred against political criticism is promoted with an often aggressive voice. In this context, it is essential for citizens to point out this situation as a real emergency. And at the same time, demand that the State assume its responsibility when it comes to thoroughly investigating both the graves and the extermination groups, and their possible links. For its part, the State is responsible for guaranteeing citizen security, which will always be weak if all those involved in this situation of organized groups and cemeteries at the service of crime are not investigated transparently and brought to trial.
26 bodies recovered from a clandestine mass grave in Nuevo Cuscatlán, El Salvador, all apparent victims of MS-13. The Bukele government has touted a drop in the murder rate, but disappearances are on the rise, as a govt pact with the gangs was revealed https://t.co/OOjOcPe2RP
— Michael Paarlberg (@MPaarlberg) February 6, 2022
You can see photos and videos taken by FOCOS TV about the recent discovery of a mass grave in Nuevo Cuscatlán HERE.
