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- Newsgroups: misc.activism.progressive
- Path: sparky!uunet!wupost!mont!pencil.cs.missouri.edu!rich
- From: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu (Rich Winkel)
- Subject: EL SALVADOR: TRUTH COMMISSION BEGINS INVESTIGATIONS
- Message-ID: <1992Jul21.092306.23448@mont.cs.missouri.edu>
- Followup-To: alt.activism.d
- Originator: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
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- Nntp-Posting-Host: pencil.cs.missouri.edu
- Organization: PACH
- Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 09:23:06 GMT
- Approved: map@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
- Lines: 83
-
- /** reg.elsalvador: 157.0 **/
- ** Topic: EL SALVADOR: TRUTH COMMISSION BEGIN **
- ** Written 11:18 am Jul 17, 1992 by hrcoord in cdp:reg.elsalvador **
- From: Human Rights Coordinator <hrcoord>
- Subject: EL SALVADOR: TRUTH COMMISSION BEGIN
-
- /* Written 12:30 am Jul 17, 1992 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.englibrary */
- Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved. Permission to re-
- print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.
-
- Title: EL SALVADOR: TRUTH COMMISSION BEGINS INVESTIGATIONS
-
- san salvador, jul 14 (ips) -- the three members of the truth
- commission, in charge of investigating the most serious incidents
- of violence during the 12-year civil war that ended in january,
- have arrived in san salvador to begin their task.
-
- the commission, which includes former colombian president
- belisario betancourt, former venezuelan foreign minister reinaldo
- figueredo and a prominent us jurist, thomas burgenthal, was
- formally established in new york on monday by the united nations
- secretary general, dr boutros boutros-ghali.
-
- the arrival of the three-man inquiry team coincided with
- tuesday's announcement by el salvador's defence minister, emilio
- ponce, that the commission would not only investigate acts of
- violence attributed to the armed forces, but also acts of
- violence carried out by the guerrillas.
-
- joaquin villalobos, leader of the farabundo marti national
- liberation front (fmln), expressed concern at the scope of the
- commission's work, and warned that its members might be subjected
- to ''strong pressures'' from the country's right-wing elements.
-
- the former colombian president, belisario betancourt, told
- reporters that the a six-month time limit had been established
- for the commission's task.
-
- however, figueredo, venezuela's former foreign minister,
- stressed that ''we have not imposed limiting criteria on our
- work, and will be guided by the wishes of the salvadorean
- people.''
-
- hundreds of human rights activists and victims' relatives
- gathered at san salvador's airport to welcome the three
- commission members. they carried placards proclaiming ''the
- present requires truth and justice for the past'' and other
- slogans.
-
- among the cases to be investigated by the commission is the
- 1980 murder of san salvador's archbishop, arnulfo romero, and the
- 1989 slaying of six jesuit priests, as well as several massacres
- of civilians suspected of collaborating with the guerrillas.
-
- el salvador's bitter 12-year conflict is estimated to have
- claimed the lives of nearly 75,000 people, the majority of them
- civilians.
-
- according to the peace accords, signed by the government of
- president alfredo cristiani and the fmln on january 16, the truth
- commission will have six months to prepare a final report on its
- findings, which will be presented to un secretary general boutros
- boutros-ghali.
-
- the un chief is later expected to present the report to the
- salvadorean government and the fmln. (more/ips)
- ----
-
- el salvador: truth (2)
-
- meanwhile, the commission in charge of evaluating and purging
- the armed forces, composed of three salvadorean civilians, is due
- present its report in august.
-
- by the end of october, if the objectives of the timetable
- established by the peace accords are achieved, the guerrillas
- should have completed their disarmament and demobilisation
- process and a new national civilian police force should be
- in place. (ends/ips/trd/pi/sfi/cg/92)
- -----
-
-
- ** End of text from cdp:reg.elsalvador **
-