Action Alert - CITIZENS NOT TERRORISTS CAMPAIGN in El Salvador
CITIZENS NOT TERRORISTS CAMPAIGN
ADVOCACY ACTION ALERT
(See sample letters/emails for each
contact below)
September 15, 2007
Dear Friends of Sister Cities,
Thanks for taking action to help free the Suchitoto 13 and support Human Rights
in El Salvador!
Your actions are critical to ensure that the thirteen are cleared of all
charges and that Salvadorans can express themselves without fear of
persecution.
Now is the time for increased action. During the span of one week,
September 19-27th, we ask that you petition the President of El Salvador to:
1- Immediately drop all charges against the
Suchitoto 13, close the case against them and initiate an investigation into
the violent conduct of the police on July 2nd.
2- Introduce legislation to repeal decree #108, the “Special Law
Against Acts of Terrorism” and the laws passed in August 2007 that increase
jail time against those convicted of “public disorder.”
3- Cease using our taxpayer dollars (via the
Millennium Challenge Account – see letter to President Saca) to support civil
liberties abuses.
We urge you to send this message to President Antonio Saca himself, as well as
through the U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador
and the El Salvador
desk of the U.S. State Department. Below you’ll find contact information
and draft letters to each official. Feel free to use the drafts as a guide to
writing your own personalized letter.
Secondly, we ask that you contact your representative to urge her/him to
support con-gressional hearings about the taxpayer subsidy of civil liberties
violation in El Salvador.
Again, a sample letter is attached as a guide for communicating with your
representative.
As one last request, please forward us any response you receive as a result of
your letters or phone calls. It really helps for us to see these
responses. You can forward any responses via email to us at: sistercities@gmail.com
Thanks!
Members of the Citizens Not Terrorists Advocacy Committee:
David Amdur
Joan Brooks
Dennis Chinoy
Michael Ring
Marc Rosenthal
- Contact Salvadoran
President Antonio Saca
You can send him a message through two channels:
a) His Office in El Salvador:
Secretaria de Comunicaciones, Presidencia de la Republica, Gobierno de El
Salvador
Telephone: 011-503-2248-9000
Fax: 011-503-2243-7857 or 011-503-2243-9930
b) Through the El Salvador
Embassy to the United States
in Washington, DC
C/o Hon. Rene Antonio León Rodríguez, Ambassador to the United States,
Embassy of El Salvador, Washington, DC
Telephone: (202) 265-9671, (202) 265-9672
Fax:(202) 232-3763
E-Mail:correo@elsalvador.org
- Contact US Ambassador
to El Salvador,
Charles Glazer
Embassy of the United States
in El Salvador
Email: GlazerCL@state.gov
Phone: 011-503-2501-2999 x2003
- Contact Your
Congressperson
You can find your congressperson’s contact information
via:
http://www.house.gov/
Congressional switchboard: (202) 224-3121
4. Contact the State
Department El Salvador
Desk
Ask for Jeremy Cornforth
Phone: 202-647-3505.
===
September xx, 2007
President Antonio Saca
Presidente de la Republica de El
Salvador
El Salvador,
Centroamerica
Dear President Saca:
I’m writing to express my continuing concern about the case of the 13
protestors arrested in Suchitoto on July 2nd and subsequently
charged as terrorists.
As you know, on July 2, 2007, the National Civilian Police (PNC) and National
Riot Police (UMO) violently repressed a peaceful protest against water
privatization in Suchitoto,
El Salvador.
Four members of the social organization CRIPDES (Association for the
Development of El Salvador)
were arrested when their truck was stopped by police forces before they ever
arrived at the protest site. Over the course of the day, police arrested
10 more community members and injured dozens more with beatings, rubber
bullets, and tear gas.
The 14 community members were charged with Acts of Terrorism under El Salvador's
Decree #108, "Special Law Against Acts of Terrorism", and were tried
Saturday, July 7 in a Special Tribunal, outside of the regular court
system. Judge Ana Lucila Fuentes de Paz dismissed the charges for one detainee,
and decreed "preventative detention" for 3 months for the other 13,
maintaining the terrorism charges and allowing the prosecutors to collect more
evidence. Following an appeals process, the accused were released from
preventative detention, but terrorism charges stand against all 13.
People around the world are very concerned about these developments and the
threat they represent to democracy and human rights in El Salvador.
These steps taken under your leadership represent violations of The Constitution
of the Republic
of El Salvador, The 1992
Salvadoran Peace Agreements and the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights. They also represent a violation of the terms for “Ruling Justly”
of the $461 million in development funds allocated to El Salvador by the United States for 2007 through 2011
through the Millennium Challenge Account.
In response to this case and the general decline of protection of human rights
in El Salvador,
dozens of US Congresspersons have contacted your office, expressing their
commitment to the right to nonviolent protest and dissent in general and
calling for a just resolution in the case of the thirteen accused following the
events in Suchitoto. Unfortunately, since this communication, your government’s
response has only been one of continuing steps to criminalize protest,
including the introduction of new legislation of proposed reforms to
significantly lengthen jail times for those accused of “public disorder.”
I ask you to immediately take several steps to restore confidence in your
government’s commitment to democracy and human rights:
1- Immediately drop all charges against the
Suchitoto 13, close the case against them and initiate an investigation into
the violent conduct of the police on July 2nd.
2- Introduce legislation to repeal decree #108, the “Special Law
Against Acts of Terrorism” and the laws passed in August 2007 that increase
jail time against those convicted of “public disorder.”
3- Cease using our taxpayer dollars to support
civil liberties abuses.
In closing, I want you to know that I will continue to monitor the situation of
human rights in El Salvador
and in particular the case of the Suchitoto 13. I will also be
communicating my concern to the US State Department and to my congressional
representative.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
September xx, 2007
Ambassador Charles Glazer
Embassy of the United State to El Salvador
El Salvador,
Centroamerica
Dear Ambassador Glazer:
I’m writing to express my continuing concern about the case of the 13
protestors arrested in Suchitoto on July 2nd and subsequently
charged as terrorists.
As you know, on July 2, 2007, the National Civilian Police (PNC) and National
Riot Police (UMO) violently repressed a peaceful protest against water
privatization in Suchitoto,
El Salvador.
Four members of the social organization CRIPDES (Association for the
Development of El Salvador)
were arrested when their truck was stopped by police forces before they ever
arrived at the protest site. Over the course of the day, police arrested
10 more community members and injured dozens more with beatings, rubber
bullets, and tear gas.
The 14 community members were charged with Acts of Terrorism under El Salvador's
Decree #108, "Special Law Against Acts of Terrorism", and were tried
Saturday, July 7 in a Special Tribunal, outside of the regular court
system. Judge Ana Lucila Fuentes de Paz dismissed the charges for one
detainee, and decreed "preventative detention" for 3 months for the
other 13, maintaining the terrorism charges and allowing the prosecutors to
collect more evidence. Following an appeals process, the accused were
released from preventative detention, but terrorism charges stand against all
13.
People around the world are very concerned about these developments and the
threat they represent to democracy and human rights in El Salvador.
These steps taken by the Government of Antonio Saca represent violations of The
Constitution of the Republic
of El Salvador, The 1992
Salvadoran Peace Agreements and the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights. They also represent a violation of the terms for “Ruling Justly”
of the $461 million in development funds allocated to El Salvador by the United States for 2007 through 2011
through the Millennium Challenge Account.
In response to this case and the general decline of protection of human rights
in El Salvador,
dozens of US Congresspersons have contacted President Saca, expressing their
commitment to the right to nonviolent protest and dissent in general and
calling for a just resolution in the case of the thirteen accused following the
events in Suchitoto. Unfortunately, since this communication, President Saca’s
government’s response has only been one of continuing steps to criminalize
protest, including the introduction of new legislation of proposed reforms to
significantly lengthen jail times for those accused of “public disorder.”
I ask you to immediately communicate with President Saca and suggest several
steps to restore confidence in his government’s commitment to democracy and
human rights:
a- Immediately drop all charges against the
Suchitoto 13, close the case against them and initiate an investigation into
the violent conduct of the police on July 2nd.
b- Introduce legislation to repeal decree #108, the “Special Law
Against Acts of Terrorism” and the laws passed in August 2007 that increase
jail time against those convicted of “public disorder.”
c- Cease using our taxpayer dollars to support
civil liberties abuse.
In closing, I want you to know that I will continue to monitor the situation of
human rights in El Salvador
and in particular the case of the Suchitoto 13. I will also be
communicating my concern to my congressional representative.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
===================
September xx, 2007
Congressperson……
United States
Congress
Washington, DC
Dear Congressperson….. :
I’m writing to express my continuing concern about the case of 13 protestors
arrested in Suchitoto, El Salvador on July 2nd
and subsequently charged as terrorists.
On July 2, 2007, the Salvadoran National Civilian Police and National Riot
Police violently repressed a peaceful protest against water privatization in Suchitoto, El
Salvador. Four members of the social
organization CRIPDES (Association for the Development of El Salvador)
were arrested when their truck was stopped by police forces before they ever
arrived at the protest site. Over the course of the day, police arrested
ten more community members and injured dozens more with beatings, rubber
bullets, and tear gas.
The community members were charged with Acts of Terrorism under El Salvador's
Decree #108, "Special Law Against Acts of Terrorism," and were tried
Saturday, July 7 in a Special Tribunal, outside of the regular court
system. Judge Ana Lucila Fuentes de Paz dismissed the charges for one
detainee, and decreed "preventative detention" for 3 months for the
other 13, maintaining the terrorism charges and allowing the prosecutors to
collect more evidence. Following an appeals process, the accused were
released from preventative detention, but terrorism charges stand against all
13.
People around the world are very concerned about these developments and the
threat they represent to democracy and human rights in El Salvador.
These steps taken by the Government of Antonio Saca represent violations of The
Constitution of the Republic
of El Salvador, The 1992
Salvadoran Peace Agreements and the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights. They also represent a violation of the terms for “Ruling Justly”
of the $461 million in development funds allocated to El Salvador by the United States for 2007 through 2011
through the Millennium Challenge Account.
In response to this case and the general decline of protection of human rights
in El Salvador,
dozens of US Congresspersons have contacted President Saca, expressing their
commitment to the right to nonviolent protest and dissent in general and
calling for a just resolution in the case of the thirteen accused following the
events in Suchitoto. Unfortunately, since this communication, President Saca’s
government’s response has only been one of continuing steps
to criminalize protest, including the introduction of new legislation of
proposed reforms to significantly lengthen jail times for those accused of
“public disorder.” The new legislation was utilized earlier this month
when the government arrested eight members of a nursing union who had
participated in a work stoppage in July to protest a lack of medicines and the
attempt to privatize healthcare services, and who now face up to eight years in
prison.
Members of Congressional committees, namely the House Foreign Affairs
subcommittees on Western Hemisphere Affairs and on International Organizations,
Human Rights, and Oversight, and the House Foreign Operations Committee, have
been asked to consider hearings into the worsening human rights situation in El Salvador and
of our indirect taxpayer support for it. I urge you to support the call
for hearings and to work with your congressional colleagues to review if the
deterioration of human rights in El Salvador represents a violation
of the requirements mandated in the Millennium Challenge Account.
In closing, I want you to know that I will continue to monitor the situation of
human rights in El Salvador
and in particular the case of the Suchitoto 13. I look forward to hearing
from your office about steps you are taking to help ensure the US government is doing everything possible to
encourage democracy and freedom of expression in El Salvador.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
XXXXXXXXXXXXX This from the US-El
Salvador Sister City
Network:
For background on the arrests and terrorism charges, please visit www.elsalvadorsolidarity.org
---------------------
<!--[if gte vml 1]>
<![endif]--><!--[if !vml]-->![[]](file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CJUDYMI%7E1%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_image001.gif) <!--[endif]-->U.S.-El Salvador Sister Cities
P.O. Box 2543, Plattsburgh,
NY 12901
sistercities@gmail.com
(608) 661-9300
www.elsalvadorsolidarity.org
San Salvador
office: sistercities@telesal.net
Submitted by wnpj on Mon, 09/17/2007 - 7:48am. |
