Sister Cities
Oscar Luna, Ombudsman for Human Rights, Recieves Death Threats, Jan 2010
On January 21st, Oscar Luna, the Ombudsman in Defense of of Human Rights in El Salvador, announced that he had received two death threats against himself and his family since January 8. The second one, delivered January 19, warned him that he had 48 hours to leave the country. The threats are claimed by a group for “cleansing the country and exterminating crime”. Luna has spoken out strongly against the murders of activists in Cabañas and the request of the defense minister to declare a state of emergency in order to place the military in communities where crime is most severe. Luna has declared that he will not permit the threats to obstruct his work in the defense of human rights.
Five citizens' organizations including the National Anti-Mining Table held a press conference on January 22nd and made the following statement:
Firm condemnation of the death threats against the Ombudsman for the Defense of Human Rights
Regarding the recent death threats against the Ombudsman for the Defense of Human Rights, Oscar Humberto Luna, made by a self-named "anti crime group", we the citizens' organizations below, declare the following:
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We recognize the distinguished work the the Ombudsman and his team of contributors are carrying out in defense of the human rights of Salvadorans. His wise resolutions obout issues and problems that consist of violations of human rights are always opportune and characterized by his calls to the corresponding authorities to take urgent action.
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Therefore, we condemn the death threats against him and his family, which were possibly provoked by individuals or groups whose interests were put in danger by some of the positions of the Ombudsman for the Defense of Human Rights
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We demand that the institutions of justice and security, especially the National Civil Police and the Attorney General of the Republic, implement protection methods that guarantee the security of the Ombudsman, and do a deep investigation into the intellectual and material authors of the threats, and the motivations behind them.
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We propose to speed up the discussion about adequate methods of combating the insecurity and crime that is growing in the country, discarding the methods that would violate human rights, institutionality and rule of law and insisting in the disarming of society, strengthening the Police and Attorney General, using methods of violence prevention and combating the structural causes of the violence.
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We demand that the institutions that have received urgent requests from the Ombudsman act on them. Resolutions referring to the struggles against the mining projects, insecurity, crime, and other problems that affect the country should be addressed.
Mesa Nacional frente a la Minería Metálica, Foro Nacional del Agua, Movimiento Patria Exacta, Foro para la Defensa de la Constitución and Radio Victoria
