AMERICA/EL SALVADOR - The Archbishop of San Salvador: "No law must cover up crimes against humanity!"

Wednesday, 22 May 2019 war crimes   bishops   reconciliation  

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San Salvador (Agenzia Fides) - The Catholic Church of El Salvador rejects the National Reconciliation Law recently discussed during the Legislative Assembly, denouncing that it would leave the culprits of crimes against humanity unpunished during the Salvadoran civil war (1980-1992). The Church is opposed to a possible amnesty and supports the victims who await justice (see Fides, 18/3/2019).
"We are very worried because they want to quickly approve a law of reconciliation that would be - in practice - another law of an unjust amnesty, a spurious and totally illegitimate law that seeks to protect the perpetrators", said the Archbishop of San Salvador, José Luis Escobar Alas, in a press conference whose text was sent to Fides.
"No law must cover crimes against humanity! One must have justice, out of respect for the victims, otherwise it is a wound that does not heal", concluded Mgr. Escobar Alas.
The Legislative Assembly must prepare a new law of national reconciliation by July that guarantees truth, justice and reparation for the victims. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (CIDH) has also expressed "deep concern" about the bill which, according to the coordinator of the commission, Miguel Montenegro, is trying to get an amnesty approved that supports the interests of the political sectors in "protection of the executioners "both military and ex-guerrillas. The armed conflict, between 1980 and 1992, caused the death of over 75,000 people and 10,000 disappeared. Those responsible must be prosecuted and the law must not be consensual, the victims must be heard, the CIDH reiterated. (CE) (Agenzia Fides, 22/05/2019)


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