October news from El Salvador

A collection of some of the news from El Salvador during the month of October:

The Santa Marta 5 are acquitted.  A court dismissed the charges against the community and anti-mining activists who were accused of a killing during El Salvador's civil war.  The prosecution of the activists had been seen as intimidation of the anti-mining movement which had achieved a law banning gold mining in the country. 

Bukele sends thousands of troops in siege of another town.  Bukele labels El Salvador the "safest country in the western hemisphere," but maintains it through massive shows of force.  Asserting a need to root out gang members, some 2000 soldiers and 500 police were sent to establish a security cordon around the town of San Marcos. The national emergency State of Exception  remains in place and suspends due process protections for those arrested.

El Salvador refinances foreign debt in environmental conservation deal.   In a re-financing transaction facilitated with assistance by the United States, El Salvador repurchased $1 billion of its external debt and replaced it with lower interest financing. The interest savings are designated to be used for conservation and protection of the Lempa River watershed in the country.   (More on this in a future post).

Medical professionals hold protest march in San Salvador.  Protesting budget cuts, salary freezes and working conditions, doctors and nurses and other medical professionals staged a "white march" in San Salvador. (More on this in a future post).

El Salvador makes plans to build a nuclear reactor.  The Legislative Assembly passed a Nuclear Energy Law to govern plans to bring nuclear energy to the country.  The government announced that over the next seven years it will build its first reactor for research purposes.

El Salvador to participate in multi-national security force in Haiti.  On October 3 it was announced that El Salvador will participate in the UN-sponsored force with a helicopter medical evacuation unit.   [This is not the same as Bukele's statement that he could employ his tactics from El Salvador and clean up the problem of widespread criminal violence in Haiti].  

12 Year Anniversary of IACHR ruling in El Mozote case.   Twelve years ago this month, the InterAmerican Court of Human Rights ruled against El Salvador in a case brought by the victims of El Mozote massacre, finding that the government had failed to investigate and provide justice for the hundreds of children, women and the elderly killed by the military.  On this anniversary, El Salvador still has not fulfilled its obligation as the judge installed by the Bukele regime has failed to advance the case.

Journalists report on growing wealth of Bukele clan.  Investigative journalists shared reports on the growing wealth of the extended Bukele family since Nayib Bukele took power in 2019.   The reports indicate purchases of coffee fincas, luxury residential properties and agricultural land.  In one instance, a property was purchased in the historic center of San Salvador to operate a luxury restaurant shortly after passage of a law granting tax breaks for persons making such investments.

Cine Libertad renovation.   The sign in the photo which opens this post is no longer at the top of the Libertad Cinema in Libertad Plaza in the Historic Center of San Salvador.   The cinema which had been abandoned for many years is having a makeover to include modern screens and a restaurant.  A temporary replica of the iconic sign is atop the cinema during the remodelling.