Saca in San Francisco: The Other Story

When Cities Honor Those With Questionable Human Rights Records -April 3, 2008 -Written by Pamela Merchant*

It is a very strange time to be a part of the human rights community in San Francisco. In the next few days San Francisco will honor two countries with abysmal human rights records: China and El Salvador.

It is well known that San Francisco is hosting the Beijing Olympic torch. Next week the torch will travel along the waterfront on a route that was kept secret until the last minute in order to avoid expected protests on China's human rights record.

Less attention has been paid to the fact that on Friday the Mayor will honor the President of El Salvador and proclaim April 4 "Elias Antonio Saca Day." While it is understandable that San Francisco would honor a world leader, Saca is a troubling choice.

It is well known that the human rights abuses committed in the 1980s by the Government of El Salvador against its civilian population were among the most severe in the modern history of the Americas. What is less well known is the fact that not a single human rights abuser has been brought to justice in El Salvador. Moreover, President Saca is determined that no human rights abuser be brought to justice.

Saca comes by his opposition to human rights prosecutions honestly. He is the leader of the notorious ARENA party which has been directly linked to the death squads which terrorized the civilian population of El Salvador for twelve years and understandably wants to protect his colleagues.

Over 70,000 civilians were killed by the military and paramilitary forces during those difficult years; thousands of others were tortured, raped and suffered other abuses. When peace was restored in 1992, a U.N. sponsored Truth Commission found that the ARENA-controlled government was responsible for most of the abuses committed. Not surprisingly, five days after the Truth Commission report was released, the government passed a blanket amnesty law to protect military and paramilitary forces from prosecution.

More than 1.5 million Salvadorans now live in the United States; the Bay Area is home to a significant portion of this population. Most of the first generation to arrive in the 1980s were tortured or had close family members tortured or killed. While many Salvadorans came to escape the violence, a small number of prominent military leaders, made wealthy by the war, also arrived.

The San Francisco-based Center for Justice and Accountability (CJA) has successfully sued a number of these former military leaders for human rights abuses on behalf of Salvadoran torture survivors, several of whom live in the Bay Area. CJA is able to do this using a 1789 law which allows civil suits for abuses that occurred overseas if the defendant is in this country. Each time CJA wins a suit on behalf of Salvadoran survivors, the Government of El Salvador condemns the outcome. In 2004, President Saca personally condemned the ruling in CJA's case against an architect of the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero. The California court found:

"The ARENA party held great power in El Salvador in the 1980s and continues to run the government today. The ARENA party was founded by Roberto D'Aubuisson, who also founded the death squads that operated in direct concert with the Salvadoran forces. Salvadorans feared and continue to fear, not only retaliation from the military, but also from the ARENA-run government..."

Last week, the Government of El Salvador filed court papers in another CJA case where a Memphis jury found former Salvadoran Vice-Minister of Defense Carranza liable for torture and extrajudicial killing. Saca's government has indicated they will argue that the $6 million judgment against Carranza should be overturned because he is subject to the amnesty law.

President Antonio Saca should repeal the amnesty law and vigorously prosecute human rights abusers in his country.

Mayor Newsom should review the human rights records of his honorees with more care.

*Pamela Merchant
Executive Director
Center for Justice & Accountability
870 Market Street, #688
San Francisco, CA 94102
415-544-0444 ext 307
415-544-0456
pmerchant@cja.org

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