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- From: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu (Rich Winkel)
- Subject: Proceso 547: News Briefs
- Message-ID: <1993Jan26.060241.28975@mont.cs.missouri.edu>
- Followup-To: alt.activism.d
- Originator: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
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- Organization: PACH
- Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 06:02:41 GMT
- Approved: map@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
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-
- /** reg.elsalvador: 133.0 **/
- ** Topic: Proceso 547: News Briefs **
- ** Written 1:21 pm Jan 25, 1993 by cidai@huracan.cr in cdp:reg.elsalvador **
- From: cidai@huracan.cr (Centro de Informacion Documentacion y Apoyo a la Invest. - UCAJSC)
- Subject: Proceso 547: News Briefs
-
- Center for Information, Documentation and Research Support (CIDAI)
- Central American University (UCA)
- San Salvador, El Salvador
-
- PROCESO 547
- January 20, 1993
-
- NEWS BRIEFS:
-
- SUIT: On January 18 and 19, generals Ponce and Zepeda, Minister
- and Vice-Minister of Defense, respectively, appeared before the
- Ninth Criminal Court to ratify their decision to sue the leaders of
- the non-governmental Human Rights Commission and the UNTS. Outside
- the hearing, Zepeda said, "we are trying to strengthen the rule of
- law by going to the courts, in order to put an end to unfounded
- accusations aimed at harming honor and dignity." With reference of
- the Ad Hoc Commission recommendations, he termed them "unjust,"
- since they failed to take into account the rights of the officers.
- Both Ponce and Zepeda confirmed that the Armed Forces is trying to
- reduce its ranks to 31,500 soldiers by the end of the month, as
- specified under the peace accords.
-
- PARDON: ARENA legislative deputy Carlos Hern ndez declared that
- the pardon requested of the legislature by Fr. Jos Mar!a Tojeira,
- for Col. Guillermo Alfredo Benavides and Lt. Yusshy Mendoza, found
- guilty in the summary execution of the Jesuit priests and their co-
- workers, is invalid. The deputy explained that the pertinent
- committee of the Legislative Assembly has not issued a pardon
- because the request did not fulfill the requirements stipulated by
- the Penal Procedural Code, in that a pardon may only be requested
- by a Salvadoran citizen. Fr. Tojeira is a citizen of both Honduras
- and Spain.
-
- TRUTH COMMISSION: In six months of work ending January 13, the
- Truth Commission collected testimony on human rights abuses during
- 12 years of war from approximately 9,000 persons. Commission member
- Belisario Betancourt, former president of Colombia, reported that
- he currently has a staff of 30 specialists at the United Nations
- who are organizing the documentation which, in the future, could
- become a sort of Memory Bank for El Salvador, to be consulted by
- Salvadorans and historians throughout the world, by means of a
- foundation financed by academic groups in Europe and the United
- States. He added that the Commission's report will include specific
- recommendations and will be officially delivered to the two sides
- (government and FMLN), as well as to the U.N. Secretary General, on
- February 11. With regard to the confidentiality of the testimony
- collected, Betancourt said that would depend on whether or not the
- two sides and the Secretary General decide to publish the material.
-
- PRICES: The Minister of the Economy, Arturo Zablah, announced on
- January 18 that there are now 241 articles included in the Consumer
- Price Index, up from 158 in previous indices. The prices will be
- monitored in a total of 1,005 commercial establishments, up from
- 365; the total number of prices monitored has increased from 1,531
- to 2,963. Price samples will be taken in the cities of Santa Ana,
- San Salvador, Santa Tecla, San Miguel and Sonsonate.
-
- MAYOR: The president of ARENA's National Executive Council,
- Armando Calder"n Sol, condemned the kidnapping of the mayor of
- Concepci"n de Oriente (La Uni"n), Vidal Canales. According to
- Calder"n Sol, the incident took place on January 13, when a mob
- armed with knives and machetes, led by someone called "Commander
- Nelson," a member of a group (CODELUN) allegedly sympathetic to the
- FMLN, attacked the mayor, tied him up and paraded him through town,
- then carried him off to an unknown destination. The official warned
- that the attack jeopardizes the peace process, and called upon
- human rights organizations, political sectors and ONUSAL to
- intervene and protect Canales' safety.
-
- POLICE: On January 15, in Puerto Rico, 62 members of the new
- National Civilian Police graduated from a four-month training
- course. The Minister of the Presidency, Oscar Santamar!a, attended
- as a personal representative of President Cristiani, declaring that
- the country is, for the first time, preparing to organize public
- security in a civilian fashion. He added, "this is an enormous
- challenge, there is much work to be done and great understanding is
- necessary in order to maintain respect for human rights in times of
- peace and democracy." He also expressed confidence that other
- cooperation agreements between Puerto Rico and El Salvador will be
- signed in the area of agriculture and other key sectors for
- national recovery.
-
- REPORT: In its report covering the first half of January, ONUSAL
- stated that the "Atonal" Immediate Reaction Battalion was dissolved
- on January 6; on the 7th, the "Victoria Cacahuatique" Anti-
- Terrorist Battalion of Military Detachment No. 4 was dissolved; and
- on the 12th, the "Cobra" Anti-Terrorist Battalion of the Fourth
- Infantry Brigade did the same. ONUSAL officials observed the
- transfer of personnel from the Detachment of Military Engineers of
- Zacatecoluca to the former "Atlacatl" Battalion headquarters west
- of the capital. They also witnessed the delivery of basic goods and
- agricultural tools by CREA Internacional to members of the last
- contingent of FMLN combatants to demobilize last December. In terms
- of the human rights division, ONUSAL reported that it had verified
- 227 land transfers to former FMLN combatants at La Haciendita and
- Langueta (Santa Ana), and that 140 persons received lands in Valle
- Verde. Finally, ONUSAL mentioned that former combatants and
- villagers who lost their personal documents during the conflict are
- currently in the process of replacing them.
-
-
- ** End of text from cdp:reg.elsalvador **
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