The IACHR regrets El Salvador’s refusal to submit to international scrutiny

The board of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), based in Washington DC, lamented this Thursday, “the gradual closure of the country to international scrutiny (…) given the concern about the deterioration of democratic institutions in El Salvador”, as summarized by Commissioner Joel Hernández, along with the rest of the members of the organization.

The audience. requested by Salvadoran civil society organizations to analyze the ‘Situation of human rights and rule of law in El Salvador’within consecutive extensions of the state of emergency in the country that the Salvadoran government justifies as a measure to deal with public security issues.

The administration of President Nayib Bukele withdrew from participation -as befits the State- explained at the beginning of the hearing the president of the IACHR, Julissa Mantilla.

“We regret the absence of the State in this hearing (…) in the IACHR we continue to monitor with concern the lack of independence of the judiciary, the interference of the Executive and the specific recourse of the state of exception worries us because when a state has indefinite extensions, the exception becomes rule, and there is a breach of international obligations,” said the official.

The plaintiffs’ claims

The organizations that defend human rights and monitor the country’s compliance with international treaties attended the 184th session of the body that is part of the Organization of American States (OAS) system, to expose “serious violations” of fundamental rights in more than 100 days of the state of exception imposed by the Salvadoran government “to capture gang members.”

However, petitioners such as Cristosal, Fespad, Passionist Social Service, and the Foundation for Due Process, PDLF, among others, have documented and recounted cases that would be committing torture and the total lack of guarantees, apart from the report of 52 people who have died in prison after being captured.

They also denounced that from the initial raids where workers, peasants, youth and even students were arrested, which have shown that they have no connection with gangs or criminal networks, today the strategy has turned to a “safe house” plan, which agents of the State security forces: National Civil Police (PNC) and the Army, arrive in poor communities and take people selectively, which, as in the previous one, many have nothing to do with criminal structures.

Among the practices put in place by the government, they pointed out that of creating a “system of anonymous complaints” with economic rewards, where people can be arbitrarily accused, without a fair judicial process because the undercover judge has been established at the same time, and where There is no material testing process.

Lawyer Zaira Navaz, from the Cristosal organization, told the IACHR that the “dangerous scenario” gives indications that “murder, torture, and cruel and inhuman treatment” are being committed -as they have documented.

In addition to the disappearances of people who fell in raids and whose relatives cannot find them in any penitentiary center in the country, which increases the concern because “we could be facing arbitrary or extrajudicial executions.”

The voice of america He requested reactions from the Salvadoran Foreign Ministry and the Presidential House on the IACHR’s observations, but there was no response, only comment was made that “the petition will be forwarded” to the authorities.

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