El Salvador Perspectives

Black-robed judges marched through the streets of San Salvador, protesting corruption investigations of four judges which have been launched by the country's attorney general. The BBC website has the story : More than 400 judges in El Salvador have held a street protest to complain about accusations of corruption against four of their colleagues. Dressed in their robes, they delivered a letter of protest to the Supreme Court in San Salvador on Wednesday. The judges were calling for prosecutors to investigate the cases with objectivity and prudence. They also want the government to drop plans to allow state prosecutors to determine criminal cases. Prosecutors have opened investigations into various of the four judges' decisions, including one ruling to release a man three months after he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for murder. Defence lawyers for the judges say they were just applying the law.

Mining companies, such as Pacific Rim, have not convinced Salvadorans that gold mining will benefit the country. Although some persons have asserted in the comments of this blog that opposition to mining is just the product of a vocal group of outside gringo environmentalists who care nothing for the well-being of Salvadorans, a recent opinion poll shows a strong majority of Salvadorans in the potentially affected regions oppose mining. The poll was reported in an article in ContraPunto : The results of the poll from the [UCA public opinion institute] are more than clear. The populations that inhabit the territories where mining is planned don't approve the activities, and moreover they reject the declarations of the mining industry that assures them that with the activity hundreds of jobs will be created and there will be improvements for the social and economic development of the communities. 62.5% of the population polled expressed the opinion that El Salvador is not an ade...

One of El Salvador's natural treasures is Bosque El Imposible National Park. Located in far western El Salvador, the Rainforest Alliance described the park this way: Because of it size and biological diversity, Bosque El Imposible National Park is considered the most important natural area of El Salvador. Located in the department of Ahuachapan, El Imposible contains a highly threatened dry tropical forest that forms part of the coastal mountain range Apaneca-Ilmatepec. The 9,000 acre forest ranges from 900 feet to 4,300 feet above sea level and is home to the country's most crystalline water. Bosque El Imposible's unique topography lends a splendid beauty to this refuge. More than 500 species of birds live there, including the great curassow, king vulture and turquoised-browed motmot. Ocelots are also found in Bosque El Imposible. Traders from Guatemala used to travel to El Salvador's markets through this forest, carefully leading their mules through the steep "...

I came across a blog entry today from a blogger doing interviews with the NGO Foundation for Self Sufficiency in Central America in El Salvador. Here is a sample: One that made a huge impression on me Don Daniel is so humble, he is a grandfather, and his skin is a toasted caramel color from working in the fields his whole life. He was one of the most beautiful gardens I have seen from mango trees to fields of corn, ginger, mint, tomato, peppers, okra, chilies, cucumber….the chickens at his house and the cats and dogs all look healthy, a bit of a rarity in these parts. He always says I am not an educated man, I do not know about these things of the world, but I know about the earth, I know about how to grow things, and even though I am not educated I look around and I think this or that. He has such interesting perspectives on things. He tells us about how the mayors and district leaders who are with the FMLN do not get any money to run programs in their areas, but those who are part ...

The people of El Salvador don't have a very high opinion of the legislators in the National Assembly. In a 2006 poll , only 8% of Salvadorans indicated they had confidence in the National Assembly (but still better than the scant 5% who trust the political parties). That opinion is falling farther as the news came to light that deputies in the National Assembly had voted themselves a pay increase in the last budget without any discussion. The salary increases ranged from $1840 to $2920 per month. At a time when many Salvadoran families are struggling with an increasing cost of living, legislators who increase the minimum wage $5 per month and their own salaries $2000 per month should not be suprised at the outcry against them.

The owner and journalists of radio station Radio Cadena Mi Gente have reported receiving death threats since the beginning of the year. The radio station has headquarters in Virginia, and also broadcasts over the internet and on an AM station in El Salvador. The editorial stance of the station is often critical of the current government's policies. The threats have been denounced by the El Salvador journalists association, the human rights institute of University of Central America, and other civil society organizations.

The government of El Salvador has not fared well when its actions have been challenged in front of the human rights tribunals of the Organization of American States. This was brought home once again in last month's decision by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in the Garcia-Prieto case. An article by Raul Guttierez of IPS provides the background of the case: On Jun. 10, 1994, García Prieto, his wife and their five-month-old son were intercepted by two masked men, one of whom shouted "We’ve come to kill you, son-of-a-bitch!" before hitting the businessman and shooting him at point-blank range, according to witness testimony. Human rights organisations and the García Prieto family say the murder was linked to several killings carried out by death squads during that period against former commanders of the leftist Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN), which had recently become a legal political party.... The plaintiffs in the case say the investigation...