Salvadorans respond to increased violence, CISPES holds press conferences and vigils to pressure US State Department to declare neutrality

CISPES chapters across the country are taking part in press events, call-in-days, and vigils this week to support Salvadorans in their quest for democratic elections, free of violence, US intervention, fraud and manipulation.  In Los Angeles, CISPES joined allies in a rally outside the Salvadoran Consulate on Tuesday, and a similar event will take place in San Francisco on Friday.  In Washington DC, CISPES and allies are holding a press conference outside the US State Department to pressure Assistant Secretary of State Thomas Shannon to both declare US neutrality and to refute recent ads in El Salvador by the right-wing group Fuerza Solidaria.  (Stay up to date with the CISPES actions as well as all-day elections coverage of the January 18 Salvadoran municipal and legislative elections at http://cispes.org/09electionsblog/)

Meanwhile, the assassinations of two FMLN activists on January 9, along with continued campaign violence in the capital city of San Salvador, have increased tensions and led analysts and social organizations to accuse the government of stoking political violence.

Take Action!

1) CALL Hillary Thompson at the El Salvador desk of the State Department at (202) 647-4161 and tell her to urge Assistant Secretary of State Thomas Shannon to refute the baseless threats related to U.S. policy (see call script below.) You can also email Shannon directly at shannonta@state.gov

2) Get your organization to sign on to the open letter to the incoming Obama Administration.  The updated letter can be downloaded here and the new deadline for signatures is January 30.

3) ATTEND a delegation to monitor the March elections.  More information at www.cispes.org/delegations

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You can use the following script to contact Hillary Thompson at the El Salvador Desk of the State Department – (202) 647-4161

1. I am calling to urge Assistant Secretary of State Tom Shannon to publicly support democracy in El Salvador by refuting Fuerza Solidarida’s baseless threats, and to state the U.S. government’s intention to maintain a positive relationship with any government freely elected by the Salvadoran people

2.  Recent ads in El Salvador attempt to scare voters by stating that an FMLN victory would mean the end to good relations with the U.S .government and thus an end to remittances sent home from Salvadorans living in the U.S.

·         In addition to threatening remittances, the ads also threaten Salvadoran American’s Temporary Protective Status (TPS) which allows over 200,000 Salvadorans to remain in the U.S.

·         Similar statements were made in 2004 by Roger Noriega of the State Department and by Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado, among others.

·         These statements caused many Salvadorans to vote out of fear of U.S. retaliation, rather than according to their convictions. As someone who believes in democracy, I want to make sure the U.S. does allow untrue, fear-based threats to affect elections again in 2009.

3. It is extremely important that the State Department stand up for the Salvadoran people’s right to freely elect their government, without fear of foreign retribution.  I am calling on Mr. Shannon to denounce the Fuerza Solidaria’s baseless statements regarding the U.S. relationship with El Salvador, and to assert that the United States will maintain a positive relationship with any government freely elected by the Salvadoran people.  When a third party lies about U.S. policy, it is the responsibility of the Department of State to correct those statements.

For more background information:

·         read this CISPES article in the latest issue of Z magazine

·         Read the summer CISPES fact-finding delegation report challenging the US government role in human rights violations and intervention

·         watch “Unidos Por El Cambio”, the CISPES video about the upcoming elections