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Call on Salvadoran Authorities to Release Political Prisoners from Opposition FMLN Party!
#LibertadParaLosPresosPoliticos
Send an email to the U.S. Embassy to break its silence and end its complicity in political persecution and/or Tweet at President Bukele and the head of the National Civilian Police!
In an aggressive show of force, on July 22, the Bukele administration illegally detained a number of former cabinet members from previous Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) administrations. Social movement and civil society organizations in El Salvador are denouncing the detentions, which were carried out without a judicial order, as politically motivated and are calling for the immediate release of those detained.
De facto Attorney General Rodolfo Delgado, who was illegally installed by the governing party, New Ideas, in May, announced arrest warrants for other former officials as well, including former president Salvador Sánchez Cerén (2014-2019).
Human rights and opposition groups in El Salvador issued a public statement declaring, “These illegal actions demonstrate the weakness of a regime that resorts to violence and defamation in order to prop up its public image, which has been deteriorating due to the aggravation of problems for the population. In the last two years, unemployment and poverty have risen, health care is worsening, and violence against women is increasing, among many other social ills.”
The following day, President Bukele sent the riot police (UMO) to the streets to disperse protestors who had gathered to call for the release of the prisoners.
These attacks are further evidence that the Bukele administration relies on secrecy and illegality to function. It is also frighteningly reminiscent of previous eras of state repression.
The U.S. State Department and the U.S. Embassy in El Salvador should immediately call for the release of the political prisoners and for an end to illegal raids, seizures, and political intimidation of the president’s political adversaries.
Given their illegal actions, the U.S. Senate should also immediately withdraw funding and support for the National Civilian Police in the upcoming appropriations bill, which the House failed to do in its recent vote. U.S. support for the police and military is fueling this type of political repression throughout Central America.
Read more analysis and background on the CISPES website
Use our action platform to Tweet at Salvadoran authorities and/or send an email to the U.S. Embassy (just fill out some basic information at right)
You can also CALL the El Salvador desk at the U.S. State Department at (202) 647-3518 and leave a message:
My name is ______________ and I am calling to express my concern about the illegal detention of former public officials from the FMLN in El Salvador. The United States should immediately condemn these arrests and call on the government of El Salvador to immediately release those who have been detained and not to execute any future arrests without following due process. Thank you for your attention to this important matter. You can call me back at (YOUR NUMBER).
#LibertadALosPresosPolíticosSV #FreedomToPoliticalPrisonersES
#AlertaElSalvador #ElSalvadorOnAlert
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