Salvadoran government imprisons another who wouldn't be silent
On the morning of February 25, Fidel Zavala was outside of the office of El Salvador's human rights public advocate (PDDH) to denounce the arbitrary arrests four days earlier of two community activists from Hacienda La Floresta. Zavala is spokesperson for a group calling itself the Unit of Defense of Human and Community Rights (UNIDEHC for its initials in Spanish). UNIDEHC is leading a fight against the expulsion of approximately 250 families from their dwellings at La Floresta. Later that same afternoon, Zavala found himself arrested at the offices of UNIDEHC. And around the same time, twenty other La Floresta community members were also detained. Many observers are calling their arrests potential reprisals and intimidation by the government for their actions in defense of human rights. Zavala worked as a young businessman before being arrested the first time in February 2022 and accused of financial crimes. ...