From May 5-9 CISPES chapters around the country are taking action to denounce U.S. government inquiries into the work of CISPES and to raise awareness about the U.S. role in ongoing human rights abuses and problems leading up to the 2009 elections in El Salvador.
In January CISPES received a letter from the Department of Justice saying that the U.S. government suspects the organization of being an “agent of a foreign principal”, which would require CISPES to register under the “Foreign Agent Registration Act.” The justification was a claim that the leftist FMLN party in El Salvador had hired CISPES to do public relations and fundraising support for its presidential campaign in the U.S., but little credible evidence was provided. You can read more about the CISPES DoJ case here.
Bush and the right-wing Salvadoran ARENA party want to stop CISPES from providing effective solidarity. We understand that this threat is meant to frighten us into changing the nature of our work, such as our campaign against the US-sponsored International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA), against the draconian Salvadoran anti-terrorism law, and in favor of the right to free and fair elections in El Salvador. They want to make us think twice about standing with the FMLN as a leading opponent of US dominance in Latin America. While we take the government’s threat seriously, we have no intention of toning down our solidarity work.
Please take a moment to defend CISPES’ solidarity work by denouncing the government’s attempts to stop our organizing efforts! Organize and join CISPES’ work against the ILEA, which has brought further human rights abuses to El Salvador! Speak out against the anti-terrorist law, which is targeting and criminalizing the social movement! Demand free and fair elections in El Salvador! Your action is critical in defending the right to organize, in solidarity with those who are struggling to have REAL democracy in El Salvador.
To use an old AIDS axiom: Silence = Death
EnK
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