Silence Is Not an Option: Executive Summary
Summary: Cristosal’s Report on the Second Year under the State of Exception In March of 2022, at the request of the President, the Salvadoran Legislature declared a state of exception, suspending several constitutional rights in response to an outburst of gang violence. Two years into what was supposed to be a temporary emergency measure, 79,211people […]
Press Release: Silence is not an Option
Cristosal’s findings on the manipulation of the justice system and the human cost of two years of the state of exception The report reveals grave human rights violations, including imprisonment without conviction, deaths of infants and innocent adults, and the exacerbation of social and gender inequalities. San Salvador, July 10, 2024. El Salvador has been […]
“Work with victims is the work of God and its worth its weight in gold”: Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury
“Your love for people who are traumatized, who have been victims of horrible, unspeakable things, in which it feels like all of humanity is gone from those who oppress them, that is the work of God, and it’s worth its weight in gold,” said the Most Revd Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, during a meeting […]
Delaying Justice for Victims is Protecting the Perpetrators of War Crimes
The Salvadoran state continues to fail the victims of war crimes while protecting those responsible for various crimes committed during the armed conflict, including crimes against humanity, by delaying judicial proceedings, blocking the release of military documents, and now archiving draft legislation on behalf of the victims. The Security and Justice Commission of the Legislative […]
This is What Dialogue for Democracy Looks Like
Dialogue is an essential part of creating democracy and recognizing human rights. When we speak and listen as equals we develop the practice of democratic principles. The world is facing enormous challenges to democracy and human rights from tendencies toward authoritarianism and a myriad of tools to exclude the voices of anyone who doesn’t conform […]
Fighting for Water Means Fighting Corruption
Ramiro Gomez has lived in San Miguel Siguilá, a town in the highlands of Guatemala, his whole life. He is the representative of the Transparency and Probity Commission in the municipality. His neighbors chose him to lead because of his spirit of resistance and his desire to fight against corruption. “I am motivated to fight […]
Rising from Ashes: Meet the Fenix Association
I went from living on the street to a place with dignity for me and my baby. In the street, they saw me as nobody But no one knew who I ended up there. I have suffered a lot of discrimination; everyone thought I was a criminal. I thank God and Cristosal who helped me […]
We Help Ourselves But We Cannot Do It Alone
We are afraid that they will find out that we are human rights defenders, that we are those women who lend a voice to those who don’t have one. We are afraid of this regime of exception because we are from communities classified as red zones because of the control the gang had in this […]
Reflections on Monsignor Oscar Romero
By Bryan Varela and Fátima Pacas, Cristosal Education Team, El Salvador We share common conditions in northern Central America, countries marked by violence, impunity, corruption, and inequality. These problems are exacerbated by systems that favor the few at the expense of the impoverished majority. In this complex reality, however, our communities have continued their history […]
Cristosal Raises the Alarm about Militarization and Arrest of People Involved in Community Organizations
The Cristosal team, committed to the defense of justice and respect for the human rights of Salvadorans, expresses our concern about the reports that have emerged in the media and social networks about the militarization of the northern area of Chalatenango since the weekend. After hearing the reports, Cristosal’s team has confirmed that, as of […]
