“One more president of Impunity”. No access to the military files in Morazan.

ARPAS reports:

“The organization of victims of the massacre, which left at least 1,000 people dead, calls on Bukele’s lack of coherence and summons him. ‘This was a dishonorable and dishonest decision by the President of the Republic towards the community of victims (…) This day is engraved in our memory that he is one more president of impunity, deception who talks out of both sides of his mouth‘ they say.”

 

 

A new military fence was imposed on the inspection of military files. On September 21st, the San Francisco Gotera judge, Jorge Guzmán, arrived at the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces (FAES), together with prosecutors, experts and private prosecutors, to initiate one of the crucial phases of the criminal process for the massacre of El Mozote and nearby places: the verification of documents in the hands of military institutions that allow to clarify the worst massacre in Latin America in recent times.

It should have been a historic day for justice, but the Armed Forces, of which President Nayib Bukele is the commander-in-chief, decided to maintain the legacy of impunity of their predecessors, preventing compliance with the judicial order.

 

The Army did what Defense Minister Francis Merino Monroy had already warned. Despite the fact that the massacre occurred 39 years ago, the official – recently challenged by the militarization of the Legislative Assembly on February 9 – argues that allowing access to the documents in the possession of the institution could put national security at risk.

The parties left the military headquarters for the National Council of the Judiciary, where an act was drawn up certifying the blockade of the procedure.

The private accuser, David Morales, pointed out that it is “a decision to obstruct from the highest level”, which would involve the participation of the Army’s general commander, the defense minister and his high command. “It is an illegal decision and of deep contempt towards the victims and survivors”, he said.

 

In November 2019, Bukele promised to open the military files from A to Z. “We are here because the truth is known. If the judge asks us from A to F, we will do it to Z; it’s not that we need a court order to do it” he said during a press conference.

 

“One more president of impunity”

The Associaiton for the promotion of El Mozote Human Rights published a statement stating that “the decision to obstruct and block a judicial order is arbitrary and inadmissible and has been taken at the highest level”.

The organization of victims of the massacre that left at least 1,000 people dead, claims Bukele’s lack of coherence and summons him. ‘This was a dishonorable and dishonest decision by the President of the Republic towards the community of victims (…) This day is engraved in our memory that he is one more president of impunity, deception who talks out of both sides of his mouth’ they say.

 

By the time this article was published, President Nayib Bukele, institutions and officials of his government were silent on the decision to block the military archives.

During the last hours, the only reference to San Francisco Gotera, site where the criminal process for the massacre is taking place, is the “military fence” that the Government imposed on Sunday night, because, they say, there is an increase in cases of COVID19. The Minister of Defense who hides the military files came to that municipality. The spotlights surrounded him to highlight on social media his work to deliver health supplies to the inhabitants. Images like these have been used to promote a campaign on “The New Armed Forces.”

 

Read the full article (IN SPANISH) here.

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