THE LARGEST MARCH AGAINST NAYIB BUKELE’S GOVERNMENT

LEER EN ESPAÑOL

[Reuters]

On September 15, the same date as the Bicentennial commemoration of Central America’s independence, thousands of Salvadorans took to the streets of San Salvador to express their rejection of different political decisions recently made by the government of President Nayib Bukele.

“No to presidential re-election!”, “No to bitcoin!”, “No to militarization!”, “No to dictatorship!”, “No to corruption!” and “We demand respect for human rights!” were the most common messages seen on the banners carried by protesters.

But the most forcefully expressed demand, both on the banners and the loudspeakers, was the rejection of the adoption of bitcoin as legal tender in El Salvador. Last June, Bukele sent a proposal to the Legislative Assembly to adopt this cryptocurrency in the country. In response and without further analysis, the Assembly, controlled by the official party, approved a law that establishes that all economic agents must accept bitcoin as a form of payment.

On Tuesday, September 7, said law came into effect, despite its unpopularity. In a survey conducted by the Central American University (UCA) in August, 95.9% of the population believed that the adoption of bitcoin should be voluntary. This study also revealed that more than half of the population, 54.3%, believed that the prices of basic foodstuffs would increase with the introduction of bitcoin as legal tender. In addition, different social organizations expressed their concern over the fact that bitcoin is an extremely volatile cryptocurrency.

Protesters also showed their contempt for the dismissal of judges over 60 years of age. On September 1, the Legislative Assembly approved another controversial law, a reform to the law of the judicial career that establishes the mandatory retirement of judges who are 60 years of age or 30 years of service. Up until September 1, there was no age limit to be a judge.

According to the administration, the justification for this reform is the purification of the judicial system by removing corrupt judges, however many suggest that the hidden purpose is the control of the judicial body by the executive since the more than 200 vacant positions will be filled by judges aligned with the interests of the ruling party.

One of the judges to be dismissed under this reform, is Jorge Guzmán, the investigating judge of San Francisco Gotera, who is hearing the case of El Mozote, which is in its final stage.

According to David Morales, a notable victims’ and human rights attorney, “this dismissal of Judge Guzmán will directly affect the State’s obligation to carry out, without obstacles, the investigation and prosecution of those responsible for the massacre of El Mozote.”

Another clear reason for the protest was the resolution of the Constitutional Chamber, issued on September 3, which enables the re-election of the president.

“This decision allows immediate presidential re-election and is clearly contrary to the Salvadoran Constitution, which establishes that immediate re-election is not allowed,” remarked Jean Manes, ambassador to El Salvador (2016-2019) and who now heads the US diplomatic representation in the country.

On this same topic, Ricardo Navarro, a renowned environmentalist, during the march told the press: “Before there was a decent Constitutional Chamber, now there is a room that is a branch of the Presidency of the Republic.”

As expected, the march did not go unnoticed by the government. That same evening, the president spent a few minutes on radio and television networks attempting to downplay it, as his closest officials flooded the social networks with messages hoping to minimize the protest.

Despite the official narrative, the images speak for themselves. They show that this was the largest demonstration carried out against the Bukele administration. There is no doubt that despite citizen approval of the government remains high, decisions such as the bitcoin law, reforms to the judicial career law, and presidential re-election have activated the emotions and feelings of a good part of the citizenry, which this time legitimately expressed themselves in the streets.

Learn more at our upcoming Virtual Forum: Bitcoin in El Salvador and its Impacts

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[El Faro]

LA MARCHA MÁS GRANDE CONTRA EL GOBIERNO DE NAYIB BUKELE

El pasado 15 de septiembre, la misma fecha en que se conmemoró el Bicentenario de la independencia de Centroamérica, miles de salvadoreños y salvadoreñas se tomaron las calles de San Salvador para manifestar su rechazo a diferentes decisiones políticas, tomadas por el gobierno del presidente Nayib Bukele, en los últimos meses.

“No a la reelección presidencial”, “no al bitcoin”, “no a la militarización”, “no a la dictadura”, “no a la corrupción” y “exigimos respeto a los derechos humanos” eran los mensajes más frecuentes en las pancartas que portaban los manifestantes.

Pero la demanda expresada con más fuerza, tanto en las pancartas como en los altavoces, era el rechazo a la adopción del bitcoin como moneda de curso legal en El Salvador. El pasado mes de junio Bukele envió una propuesta a la Asamblea Legislativa para adoptar esta criptomoneda en el país. En respuesta y sin mayor análisis la Asamblea, controlada por el partido oficial, aprobó una ley que establece que todos los agentes económicos deberán aceptar el bitcoin como forma de pago.

El martes 7 de septiembre entró en vigencia dicha ley, aún con el desacuerdo, mayoritariamente, de la población. En una encuesta realizada por la Universidad Centroamericana, en el mes de agosto, el 95.9% de la población opinó que el uso del bitcoin debería ser voluntario. Dicho estudio también revela que más de la mitad de la población, el 54.3%, sostiene que los precios de los productos básicos aumentarán con el uso del bitcoin como moneda de curso legal. Además, diferentes organizaciones sociales sostienen que se trata de una criptomoneda que tiene una extrema volatilidad.

También, se protestó contra la destitución de los jueces de más de 60 años de edad. El 01 de septiembre la Asamblea Legislativa aprobó otra polémica ley, una reforma a la ley de la carrera judicial que establece el retiro obligatorio de jueces que tengan 60 años de edad o 30 años de servicio. Hasta ahora no había límite de edad para ser juez.

El argumento para esta reforma es la depuración del sistema judicial apartando a los jueces corruptos; no obstante, hay reiteradas denuncias que el propósito oculto es el control del órgano judicial por parte del ejecutivo, pues las más de 200 plazas vacantes serán ocupadas por jueces alineados a los intereses del oficialismo.

Uno de los juzgadores que sería cesado con la entrada en vigencia de esta reforma es el juez de Instrucción de San Francisco Gotera, Jorge Guzmán, quien conoce el caso de El Mozote, el cuál se encuentra en su etapa final.

De acuerdo con David Morales, abogado de las víctimas y ex procurador de Derechos Humanos de El Salvador, esta separación del juez Guzmán directamente estará afectando la obligación del Estado de llevar adelante, sin obstáculos, la investigación y enjuiciamiento de los responsables de la masacre de El Mozote.

Otra fuerte razón de la protesta fue la resolución de la Sala de lo Constitucional, emitida el 03 de septiembre, en la que se habilita la reelección del presidente.

“Esta decisión permite la reelección presidencial inmediata y es claramente contraria a la Constitución salvadoreña, que establece que la reelección inmediata no está permitida”, expresó Jean Manes, embajadora en El Salvador entre 2016 y 2019 y quien ahora encabeza la representación diplomática estadounidense en el país.
Sobre este mismo tema, Ricardo Navarro, un reconocido ambientalista, durante la marcha expresó a la prensa: “Antes había una Sala de lo Constitucional decente, ahora hay una sala que es una sucursal de la presidencia de la república”

Como era de esperar la marcha no pasó desapercibida para el gobierno, por la noche, el presidente dedicó algunos minutos, en una cadena de radio y televisión, para restarle importancia, así mismo sus funcionarios más cercanos inundaron las redes sociales de mensajes con el propósito de minimizar la protesta.

Pero las imágenes muestran claramente que fue la manifestación más grande realizada contra la administración Bukele y aunque la aprobación ciudadana al gobierno sigue siendo alta, no hay duda que las decisiones como la ley bitcoin, las reformas a la ley de la carrera judicial y la reelección presidencial han activado emociones y sentimientos de una buena parte de la ciudadanía, que esta vez se expresó legítimamente en las calles.

Aprende más en nuestro próximo Foro Virtual: Bitcoin en El Salvador y sus impactos

MOVIAC Marches to Promote Agroecology in El Salvador

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The organizations that make up the Movement of Victims Affected by Climate Change and Corporations (MOVIAC), took to the streets of San Salvador alongside environmental activists to create awareness about the negative impacts the indiscrimate use of Agrochemicals has on the health and safety of El Salvador.

According to MOVIAC, “Agroecology brings together sustainable and ancestral agricultural practices in order to unify the relationship between nature and humans and guarantee food saftey.”

Farmers, families, educators, leaders, young and old, marched together towards the Legislative Assembly to present a proposed law for the promotion of Agroecology, as a way to mitigate the impacts of climate change. They were met by senior government officials on the environmental committee and were able to submit the documents.

 

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LEER MÁS↓

Diariocolatino: Propuesta de Ley de Fomento de la Agroecologia sera Presentada la Semana Proxima

DiarioLibre: Exigen Ley para Impulsar la Agroecologia en El Salvador y Prohibir Pesticidas

Environmentalists Demand the Ratification of the Anti-Mining Law

Press Conference: 1st Anniversary of the Prohibition of Metal Mining
March 4, 2018, San Salvador

On the 1st anniversary of the prohibition of metallic mining in El Salvador
environmentalists demand that the new Legislative Assembly continue
to reinforce and strengthen the law.

On March 4th, El Salvador voted overwhelmingly right-wing in its local government and legislative assembly, this means that many of the initiatives and laws, like the anti-metallic mining law victoriously won last year could be daily overturned.

Many of the new legislative assembly member are pro-mining, some to the degree of being associated with mining tycoons. These activists, demand that the law not be overturned, ignored or slowly taken apart. The civil society also called on the Catholic church to recommit their support in the face of this apparent threat.

The groups propose that the anti-mining law previously decided upon during the last administration to be ratified, or uphold, in order to ensure the environmental sustainability of El Salvador. They also continue to demand the consideration and ratification of the laws guaranteeing the right to Water and Food Security.

The Power of Water

Versión Español

On December 22, 1992, the General Assembly of the United Nations decreed that World Water Day would be held every March 22. This important date it is an opportunity to learn about water and to value its importance in nature and in society.

In countries such as El Salvador, World Water Day is also a date to inspire civil society’s struggle for the human right to water, considering that it is facing a profound water crisis. According to the Environmental Fund of El Salvador (FONAES), El Salvador is the only country in the Central American region that is close to experiencing a situation of water stress, which places it among the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean with the lowest availability of water per inhabitant, like Haiti.

The main cause of this crisis is the destruction of the forest and biodiversity; the clearing of wooded areas has been a ruthless and systematic practice. Many places that produced clean water and fresh air are now thick layers of asphalt and concrete. The few forest areas left in El Salvador make up only 1% of the Central American forest.

Another cause of the water crisis is the pollution of the rivers and in general of the sources of surface water. This level of degradation of these sources, both underground and superficial, has to do with historical processes of overexploitation of natural resources for capital accumulation purposes, facilitated by the negligence of the State.

This environmental anarchy has resulted in water currently being a source of conflict because companies and communities dispute the little clean water that remains. Such is the case of the municipality of Nejapa, which has one of the main aquifers in the country and for this reason companies like Coca Cola has set up shop there. According to the researcher and environmental activist Marta Muños, the Coca Cola company extracts 15% of all Nejapa’s water without paying any kind of tax. The saddest part of this case is that while this company commits this abuse, hundreds of families surrounding the factory do not have access to water.

A similar situation occurs with large-scale sugarcane growers on the Salvadoran coast, who install powerful engines to extract exorbitant quantities of water from the subsoil to irrigate large areas of monoculture, while small farmers themselves lack water for their small plots.

This all could change with the approval of a General Water Law, a law that for more than 10 years various civil society organizations have been proposing and demanding, in order to ensure the priority in the use of water is the consumption of the population and not the business of large companies. This conflicting interest has been the apple of discord that has prevented enacting said law. The best evidence of this comes from the president of the National Association of Private Enterprise (ANEP), who recently said: “The Water Law is dangerous because it violates the rights of companies.”

But in reality, it is about putting things in their order of priority. Under no circumstances should transnational corporations be allowed to appropriate water. Defending water is defending life. Just as the communities of Nejapa are fighting against the transnational Coca Cola company, so to are the communities of Cabañas, opposed to the Pacific Rim mining company.

Apparently, the only limit to the greed of these transnational companies is the resistance of the people and there exists nothing better than water to inspire a rebellion. That is the power of water.

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El Poder del Agua

El 22 de diciembre de 1992, la Asamblea General de Las Naciones Unidas decretó que cada 22 de marzo se celebraría el Día Mundial del Agua, fecha importante porque constituye una oportunidad para aprender sobre el agua y valorar su importancia en la naturaleza y en la sociedad.

En países como El Salvador el Día Mundial del Agua también es una fecha para inspirar la lucha de la sociedad civil por el derecho humano al agua, considerando que se enfrenta una profunda crisis hídrica. Según el Fondo Ambiental de El Salvador, FONAES, es el único país en la región centroamericana que se encuentra cercano a una situación de estrés hídrico, lo que lo sitúa entre los países de Latinoamérica y el Caribe con más baja disponibilidad de agua por habitante.

La principal causa es la destrucción del bosque y la biodiversidad; la tala de zonas boscosas ha sido una práctica despiadada y sistemática, muchos lugares que producían agua limpia y aire fresco ahora son gruesas capas de asfalto y concreto. Las pocas áreas forestales de El Salvador apenas constituye el 1% del bosque centroamericano.

Otra causa de la crisis hídrica es la contaminación de los ríos y en general de las fuentes superficiales de agua. Este nivel de degradación de las fuentes, tanto subterráneas como superficiales, tiene que ver con procesos históricos de sobreexplotación de los recursos naturales con fines de acumulación de capital, facilitados por la negligencia del Estado.

Esta anarquía ambiental ha resultado en que en la actualidad el agua sea fuente de conflicto, porque la poca agua existente la disputan las empresas y las comunidades, tal es el caso del municipio de Nejapa que posee uno de los principales acuíferos del país y que por esta razón empresas como la Coca Cola se ha instalado en el lugar, según la investigadora y activista ambiental Marta Muños la empresa Coca Cola extrae el 15% de toda el agua del municipio, sin pagar ningún tipo de impuesto, lo más triste de este caso es que mientras dicha empresa comete este abuso, cientos de familias aledañas a la fabrica, no tienen acceso al agua.

Similar situación ocurre con los cultivadores de caña de azúcar en la costa salvadoreña, que instalan potentes motores para extraer del subsuelo cantidades exorbitantes de agua para riego de grandes extensiones del monocultivo, al mismo tiempo que los agricultores carecen de agua para sus pequeñas parcelas.

Esta realidad podría ser diferente de aprobarse una Ley General de Agua que por más de 10 años diversas organizaciones de la sociedad civil han venido proponiendo y exigiendo, una ley que asegure que la prioridad en el uso del agua sea el consumo de la población y no el negocio de las grandes empresas, este interés contrapuesto ha sido la manzana de la discordia que ha impedido promulgar dicha ley. La mejor evidencia es que recientemente el presidente de la Asociación Nacional de la Empresa Privada, ANEP expresó: “La Ley de Agua es peligrosa porque atenta contra los derechos de las empresas”.

Pero en realidad de lo que se trata es de poner las cosas en su orden de prioridad. bajo ninguna circunstancia se debe permitir que las empresas transnacionales se apropien del agua, defender el agua es defender la vida. Así como lo está haciendo la comunidad de Nejapa luchando contra la transnacional Coca cola, o como lo hicieron las comunidades de Cabañas oponiéndose a la minera Pacific Rim.

Al parecer, el único límite a la codicia de estas empresas transnacionales es la resistencia de los pueblos y nada mejor que el agua para inspirar la rebeldía… Ese es el poder del agua.

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Marielle Franco was Murderd by the State for her Human Rights Work in Brazil

We lament in the assassination of Marielle Franco, an Afro-Brazilian sociologist and politician gunned down in Rio de Janeiro the night of March 14th by masked men while sitting in a car with her driver, who was also killed in the attack. Marielle was a prolific activist, a hard-hitting politician and constant voice for the impoverished.

Marielle grew up in favela in northern Rio de Janeiro, and became a rising luminary in activism and politics, a rare status for a black woman from a marginalized community. In 2016, she was elected as a member of the left-leaning Socialism and Liberty Party (PSOL) known for her social work with the poor and marginalized, and for her outspokenness against police violence disproportionately targeting black Brazilians.

Hours before her murder, during a panel discussion on women’s empowerment, she uttered the quote by Audre Lorde: “I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.”

Her cowardly murder has taken place two years and 10 days after the execution of Berta Cáceres, a Honduran environmental activist killed by Honduran state actors.

We stand in solidarity with the tens of thousands of protesters in Brazil and around the world and denounce this obvious state-sanctioned slaying and demand justice for Marielle Franco, justice for Berta Cáceres and for the hundreds of land, environmental and human rights activists needlessly slain by their own states over the past decade.

Marielle, rest in power.

Protesting the assassination of Marielle Franco, Rio de Janeiro

#MariellePresente    #NiUnMenos    #VivasNosQueremos    #JusticiaParaMarielleFranco

Protecting and Preventing Acts of Violence Against Women in Morazán

El Salvador’s recently held mid-term elections on March 4, saw a staggering overturn of political power as right-wing parties overtook the senate and major municipal seats in San Salvador, La Libertad and Santa Ana; and much could be said about the ‘debacle.’ At the same time, human rights defenders and survivors are celebrating the exoneration and release of two Salvadoran women unjustly incarcerated in for miscarriages many years ago.

Last year, El Salvador experienced 3,605 homicides, a 1,675 reduction from 2016. As multitudes rise up in outrage against the country’s oppressive justice system and high rate of gender-based violence, El Salvador continues to be one of the most dangerous countries to be a woman.

2017 National Statistics
_{(source ORSMUSA)}

More troubling is that the factual number of violent cases against Salvadoran women and girls are most certainly much higher than the statistics represented above because victims do not report becasue of fear of retribution and impunity. It is important to note that the majority of these victims suffer abuse in their own homes at the hand of men most close to them.

2018 Women’s March in San Salvador

Silvia Juárez, program coordinator for the Organization of Salvadoran Women for Peace  in El Salvador (ORMUSA) stated that women “are still not equal. The profound root of violence against women is inequality. We are considered human beings of less value.” On the eve of International Women’s day, a vigil was held in San Salvador and on March 8, over 3,000 marchers took to the streets to protest the country’s widespread inequality and violence against women. Their demands were simple: dignity and respect for all women and reforms to the healthcare and judicial systems.

That same day in Morazán, 600 protestors marched through the streets of San Francisco Gotera, confronting important judicial courts and even the town hall, while chanting slogans like “We don’t want flowers, we want justice!”

In 2016, 176 cases of domestic violence and 72 acts of sexual violence were reported in Morazán. According to the Citizen Network of Morazán Women (the Network), though down from the 14 official reports in 2016, five cases of femicide were invisibilizedthis year. The Network consists of 8 municipal associations scattered throughout the department with the mutual objective of promoting and defending the human rights of women. They accomplish their goals through combining unity, education and protest.

Women’s Day in Morazán, 2018

Gender-based violence is so prevalent in Morazán that it has led to the Network and other local organizations to begin to develop a community based approach to facilitate the recovery of victims and their families by educating communities and service providers, offering victims immediate and long-term support, and holding relevant  institutions accountable. Fortunately, this interrelationship of Morazán leaders exemplifies a support network of local women who can identify effective solutions to support victims of violence and their families in resource-constrained settings.

Click here for more information about the Network’s initiative and ways you can help.

The time is now.

Protest Against Walmart in Mejicanos, El Salvador Next Thursday

Last month, Walmart received permits to build a store in Mejicanos, a municipality within the greater Metropolitan San Salvador Area. The 86,100 square foot store will be located on a lovely 6.6-acre lot on the Constitution Boulevard, at the base of the San Salvador Volcano. Walmart officials estimate that the store will create 500 new direct jobs and 250 new indirect jobs and inject a bunch of new tax revenue into the local and central governments.

Sadly, the 6.6 acres where Walmart is going to build was a forest, which was removed to accommodate the large building and parking lots.

Destruction of the forest and other reasons have sparked a group of Salvadorans to oppose the new Walmart. They are organizing a protest on Thursday June 21 at the Shafik Plaza in front of the new store’s location. In an email invitation to the protest, organizers provided a top-ten list of reasons they oppose the new Walmart. Their reasons include:

1. The reduction of income and the closing of local businesses as the result of competition with Wal-Mart;
2. The cutting down of thousands of trees;
3. Floods, landslides and the obstruction of drainage pipes as a result of deforestation;
4. Damage to hydraulic basins which would mean less water for human consumption;
5. Higher temperatures: if there are fewer trees, the temperature will increase;
6. Labor rights violations: poor employee compensation, with difficult working conditions such as the denial of the right to form a union;
7. Increased dependence of small producers that sell to Wal-Mart, because as the sole business partner of these producers, Wal-Mart controls the terms and prices of trade;
8. More genetically modified and unhealthy products would enter the country;
9. More imported products would worsen the country’s economic crisis; and
10. There will probably be more illicit processes in the acquisition of permits; which could include corruption and intimidation.

Anticipating that Salvadorans would not appreciate their cutting down trees, the mega-giant store plans to plant 10,000 trees in a deforested areas in the nearby municipality of Nejapa. Whether their reforestation efforts will offset losing 6.6 acres of forest at the base of the volcano remains unclear, but opponents are doubtful.

Protest organizers have a Facebook page with information about the protest and their opposition. Here is a poster advertizing the event:

Elsalvador.com published an article on May 1^st of this year giving the new ARENA mayor, Juanita Lemus de Pacas, credit for getting Walmart the permits they need to start building. Up to the March 2012 elections, the leftist FMLN party had held the mayor’s office in Mejicanos and Walmart was unable to secure their permits. Shortly after the new ARENA government took over the municipal government, Walmart broke ground on the project.

Walmart has been in Central America since 2005 and is already the region’s largest retailer. Walmart Centroamérica has 79 stores open in El Salvador; Despensa Familiar – 51; La Despensa de Don Juan -25; Walmart Supercenter – 2; and Maxi Despensa -1.