Reflecting on the Testimonies from Suchitoto
By Claudia Rodriguez
Claudia participated in the SHARE emergency delegation to El Salvador from September 2-6. She writes to supporters below. Claudia is a Washington, DC area Salvadoran activist. She took the photos seen on this page.
Friends,
Thanks for making my trip to El Salvador possible!
 My time as part of the SHARE delegation was great and very intense--so intense that a week seemed like a month. We visited Suchitoto and the Guillermo Ungo community outside of Suchitoto that was repressed by police and military forces on July 2, 2007. I had a connection with this community long before this incident. The Guillermo Ungo community started in 1992 as a settlement for campesino communities that were in refugee camps and for ex-combatants of the FMLN that had just demobilized. I visited this community in 1992 as a high school student doing research for my sociology class. Back then I remember being moved by the spirit of this community. People had just settled, were extremely poor and had only a few belongings (the United Nations had given some people small kitchens and basic furniture). But people were happy and eager to start a new life without the horrors of war. Their main asset was their hope for a better future. (Photo: Sandra Guatemala, one of the leaders charged with terrorism, with Claudia at right)
Going back was special for me. I was impressed by how the community had progressed. I was glad to see the corn fields, the women's organizations, and the school, which unlike most rural schools offers kindergarden to high school. I was not surprised though. I knew of the amazing social capital that characterized this community. For example, they have installed 19 water systems to supply the community, which is made up of about seven villages. People contributed their labor and CRIPDES (Christian Communities for the Development of El Salvador), CORDES, and the European Union provided the funding. A woman told me, "I got splinters in my hands digging the holes for the wells." But the community's self determination is not a characteristic that the government appreciates: on the contrary, it is seen as a threat, particularly because the town is considered to be a supporter of the FMLN political party.
This is why, when President Saca chose Suchitoto to announce his "water decentralization program," the community got very suspicious. They do not want the government taking away their water system to give it to private corporations. They wanted to participate in the presidential event but they were not invited. For this reason, they decided to hold a forum in Suchitoto at the same time as the presidential event as a way to protest. In their forum they planned to explain how they manage their water supply. But little did they know that they were going to be attacked by the police and anti-riot units before they could even start the forum.
My heart ached when I heard the testimonies of people beaten up and being chased back to their communities by military forces who were spraying tear and pepper gas, even inside the houses, without caring about the children and elderly. The school also had to be evacuated. The police and army forces basically took over the community and stayed there over for eight hours. This situation, the military presence and repression, and the helipcoters flying over the community, brought back to the Guillermo Ungo community bitter memories of the civil war.
We also talked to five of the people who were detained. Patricio Valladares talked about his head injuries from the beating he received during detention. He spent three days in the hospital until the judge ordered him back to jail. He still suffers diziness and headaches. The testimony of the women was heartbreaking, the way they were treated, the inhumane conditions in prision and the arbitrarieness of the whole process. These women are so amazing that they also became advocates for the other immates, denouncing the barbaric conditions that all the women prisioners face.
 The thirteen people who were detained were released on bail but are still facing charges of terrorism. The judicial system is so corrupt that the chances of them being sentenced are quite high. This is a political case, and the government's message is clear: any protest critical of goverment policies will be prosecuted as terrorism. A new anti-terrorist law establishes convictions of 40 to 60 years in jail. There is a great concern among people and community organizations that the new policies represent a return to state terror. The accused people and their supporters are afraid that the government will sentence them in order to get its message across. They have a great hope that the international community can help change the direction of this crazy situation. (Photo: CRIPDES leaders wearing "I am not a Terrorist" T-shirts.)
For the above reasons we need to activate local and international solidarity once again until the charges are dropped. The SHARE Foundation is planning to help organize a congressional briefing to provide an educational forum to discuss this situation. If possible, they hope to bring Human Rights Ombudsman, Dr. Humberto Luna to give his testimony. Political pressure might be the only way to free these social leaders.
After being there, listening to the testimonies and looking up into the people's eyes, I feel very committed and motivated. One more time, I really appreciate your support of this cause!
When SHARE has more information about the visits of Salvadorans to Washington, DC, we will let you know. We may need your help to secure meetings with your Member of Congress. Please read any upcoming alerts!
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