Marcelo Rivera’s killing and the ongoing threats of violence in Cabanas has caught the attention of Human Rights Watch, one of the world’s leading independent organizations dedicated to defending and protecting human rights. On their website, Human Rights Watch stated that “El Salvador’s attorney general should conduct a prompt, thorough, and impartial investigation of the murder of the community leader and environmental advocate Gustavo Marcelo Rivera Moreno, as well as subsequent threats against journalists and human rights defenders.”
José Miguel Vivanco, Americas director at Human Rights Watch, stated that “[t]his is a very suspicious killing that cries out for an exhaustive investigation. To dismiss this brutal murder as a gang killing and not look into the circumstances and the menacing aftermath would have a chilling effect on El Salvador’s civil society.”
Human Rights Watch joins many in the Salvadoran and international communities calling for a proper investigation of the killing and the ongoing threats of violence in Cabañas. Jamie Moffit, a documentary maker, has produced a very informative 7 minute short documentary on Marcelo’s death and potential links to Pacific Rim Mining’s struggle to secure exploitation permits in San Isidrio, Marcelo’s hometown.
