BOGOTA, January 20, 2010 — El Salvador’s Petition of Forgiveness breaks 18 years of total impunity for serious human rights abuses committed during the country’s civil war, the International Center for Transitional Justice said yesterday.
“With this act, El Salvador takes a first step to overcome the state of neglect and denial that had characterized the state policy thus far, and, in this way, to move toward a more meaningful agenda on human rights issues,” said ICTJ Americas Director Javier Ciurlizza.
As a next step, El Salvador should fulfill the recommendations of the 1993 truth commission, in particular those related to criminal prosecutions for perpetrators of the most serious human rights violations, as well as those related to the need to exclude perpetrators from employment in public administration.
President Mauricio Funes released the petition on the occasion of the 18th anniversary of the signing of the peace agreement that ended the 12-year armed conflict (1980-1992). Approximately 80,000 people died in the fighting between the government and armed groups. Since the end of the conflict, El Salvador has continuously applied impunity mechanisms — like pardons and amnesty laws — to prevent accountability for perpetrators.
In his speech marking the petition’s release, Funes acknowledged the commission of serious human rights violations by state agents, including massacres, arbitrary executions, enforced disappearances, torture and sexual violence. He also announced the establishment of special commissions to provide reparations for victims and to help locate disappeared children and he guaranteed the operation of a fund for people disabled as a result of armed conflict.
“It is necessary that the authorities of El Salvador suppress the legal obstacles — such as the amnesty law and statutory limitations — that impede the investigation of these events and allow impunity to continue,” added Ciurlizza.
“It is vital that this presidential announcement be complemented by an effective legal framework to provide full reparations for victims that suffered damages during the civil war, and for the suffering they faced due to the prolonged impunity. If matched by action, Funes’ speech is good news for El Salvador and the region,” concluded Ciurlizza.
The report of the United Nations-sponsored Truth Commission on El Salvador was published on 1 April 1993. A full text is available here.
About ICTJ
The International Center for Transitional Justice works to redress and prevent the most severe violations of human rights by confronting legacies of mass abuse. ICTJ seeks holistic solutions to promote accountability and create just and peaceful societies.
