Human Rights Watch (HRW) has recently condemned the issuance of an arrest warrant against El Salvador human rights activist, Rubén Zamora. The activist has been charged over allegations of supporting an amnesty law that prevented prosecution of large-scale human rights infringements, a claim HRW insists is false. According to HRW’s records, Zamora, an outspoken advocate for victims of the 1981 El Mozote massacre and a vocal critic of current El Salvador government, had staunchly opposed the bill in question.
It was Salvadoran Judge Mirtala Portillo who issued the arrest warrant on December 22, 2023. The judge’s decision followed Zamora’s longstanding efforts to seek accountability for the 1981 El Mozote massacre, a horrific act of violence by El Salvador’s US-backed right-wing military that resulted in the death of about 1,000 people, half of them children.
Zamora has found himself under judicial scrutiny due to his support for the victims of the massacre and his criticism of Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele’s government. He is accused of “obstruction of justice” for allegedly having voted for and signed the 1993 Amnesty Bill, which categorically prohibited prosecutions for certain actions during the war, including massacres like El Mozote.
The controversial amnesty law was enacted merely five days after the release of the United Nations-backed Truth Commission’s 1993 report on the various significant human rights atrocities committed during the El Salvador’s civil war spanning a period of 12 years from 1980 to 1992. No matter their affiliation, participants in the conflict received immunity under the law.
However, the law was subsequently deemed unconstitutional by El Salvador’s Supreme Court of Justice in 2016 for violating international humanitarian rights. The phrase “broadest possible amnesty” in Article 6(5) of Additional Protocol II of the law, according to the Supreme Court, should be interpreted in keeping with El Salvador’s international responsibilities.
HRW argues that the Salvadoran authorities, rather than prosecuting military members implicated in the El Mozote massacre, have instead focused on using contrived charges against a well-regarded human rights advocate. As Juanita Goebertus Estrada, Americas director at Human Rights Watch, stated: “The decision is a mockery of justice and an affront to victims… [Zamora] has been tirelessly seeking justice for the victims….”
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