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Salvadoran Government Cracks Down on Students and Workers
Yesterday, students protesting an increase in bus fares outside of the National University in San Salvador were met with violence that has resulted in at least three deaths. Following the attacks on student protestors, the offices of the Union Confederation of Salvadoran Workers, CSTS, were subject to police raids in which over 2000 dollars, as well as files containing personal information, were stolen, and Daniel Ernesto Morales, a CSTS union leader, was beaten, tortured, and imprisoned. It is imperative that we demand not only the release of Daniel Ernesto Morales and the return of the stolen items, but also that workers and students receive protection against future repression and targeting.
| Sample Letter for Campaign |
Subject: Immediately release Daniel Ernesto Morales
Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,
We write to you today to express indignation with regards both to the police response to the student protests as well as the arrest of Daniel Ernesto Morales and the illegal entry, robbery, and ransacking of the Union Confederation of Salvadoran Workers, CSTS, during the early morning hours of July 6, 2006. We consider these instances to be unacceptable attacks on the basic right of citizens to express discontent with the actions of their government, and are gravely concerned that this most basic right has been violently abridged.
It is our understanding that the day before these events took place your government had been informed of CSTS's intention to participate in a hearing before the Inter-American Human Rights Commission concerning the systematic violation of union rights by the Salvadoran government. It does not appear, therefore, to be a coincidence that, on the very next day, the police not only raided the office from which the request for this hearing had come but, beyond that, tortured and imprisoned one of this organization's leaders. We are concerned that this series of acts was meant to serve as retaliation for CSTS' attempt to bring attention to the repression of union organizing and other progressive social movements that, unfortunately, has become all too common throughout El Salvador. Violence and repression such as this, combined with an acceptance of business practices that can, at best, be described as anti-worker, anti-student, and anti-union, have led to an environment in which standard labor law seems to not apply. Most importantly, these recent actions have led to a justifiable fear among many that their very safety has been put in jeopardy, which is a situation that must immediately be addressed.
It is with this in mind, therefore, that we would like to express our strong support for CSTS' request that the Inter-American Human Rights Commission take protective measures to ensure the safety of those who have been put at risk by this most recent turn of events. Furthermore, we demand:
1. The immediate release of Daniel Ernesto Morales.
2. The return of all items stolen from the CSTS office.
These actions represent an unacceptable attack on the most basic rights of the citizens of El Salvador, and we would hope that the Salvadoran government would do everything in its power to ensure that this repression comes to an end.
Sincerely,
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Campaign Launched:
July 07, 2006
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After yesterday's violent acts outside the National University that took the lives of two anti-riot police and at least one student during a protest of increased bus fares, the Salvadoran government is utilizing this situation to once again express its anti-union position.
The offices of the Union Confederation of Salvadoran Workers, CSTS, were assaulted by the police who entered the offices without a court order early Thursday morning and tortured CSTS Press Secretary a Daniel Ernesto Morales for three hours. They continually asked him, “Where are the weapons?” Daniel was kept for three hours kneeled against the wall while the agents ransacked the office and stole equipment, cameras and $2000 in cash, while hitting Daniel on the head and in the face.
Afterwards, they arrested Daniel Ernesto based on the fact that there was a weapon in the office. The legally-registered gun was the property of a member of the private security guards’ union who had left it in the office for safe keeping. Union members visited the leader at noon on Thursday and said that he had suffered blows to his face.
Daniel Ernesto Morales, CSTS union leader, arrested during the early morning hours of Thursday, July 6.
Daniel is a young union leader who was fired last year from Diana Enterprises, a business owned by the Salvadoran Minister of Environment, Hugo Barrera. Daniel and his union organization have a legal case pending against this business.
Coinciding with the break in, yesterday (July 5) at 4 p.m. and in light of the violent acts that happened during the student march, members of different social and popular organizations held a press conference at the CSTS offices to denounce the level of repression against the union and popular movement.
The CSTS and the Center for Labor Studies and Support (CEAL) have requested a hearing before the Inter-American Human Rights Commission in Guatemala City on July 19 to report to the Commission about the Salvadoran government’s systematic anti-union behavior. This request was prepared from the offices that were broken into today and this office was listed as a point of contact for any correspondence related to the process.
Yesterday, in a special session of the Legislative Assembly’s Labor Commission, Salvadoran authorities were informed of the hearing. It seems very suspicious that of all of the social and union organizations that are within proximity of the National University, it was the CSTS that was broken into by the police. The police have argued that they broke into the offices to look for weapons near the National University. However, the CSTS offices are more than a kilometer from the university.
CSTS leaders said that they filed a complaint with the Salvadoran Attorney General’s office for this break-in in which the police robbed and ransacked the offices and arrested a union member. They are proceeding to notify the Inter-American Human Rights Commission about this as a precautionary measure for members of the CSTS.
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