Impunity for past human rights violations, including "disappearances", persisted. Reports of violence against women increased but investigations remained inadequate. There were threats against human rights defenders.

Background

Criminal violence increased during the year by around 34 per cent, according to the National Civil Police. There were 3,761 murders, 82 per cent committed with firearms. The harsh government initiatives of previous years against maras (gangs) did not bring the improvements in the security situation predicted by the authorities. Instead, the prison population increased, causing greater overcrowding and protests. Prisons designed for 7,000 held around 12,000 inmates.

Natural disasters hit El Salvador, particularly affecting the poor. In October a volcanic eruption killed two peasant farmers and displaced over 5,000 people. Later, Hurricane Stan caused extensive damage and casualties. The authorities were criticized for failing to provide prompt relief to the victims.

'Disappeared' children

In March the Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled that the state of El Salvador, by failing to carry out an effective and timely investigation into the "disappearance" of three-year-old Ernestina and seven-year-old Erlinda Serrano Cruz in June 1982 during a military operation in Chalatenango, had violated their human rights and those of their family. The ruling compels the state to determine the whereabouts of the girls, investigate and bring those responsible to justice and, among other things, to set up a National Search Commission to trace "disappeared" children. Only some of the Court's recommendations had been implemented by the end of 2005.

Three more cases of children who "disappeared" during the armed conflict were admitted by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in November.

Violence against women

There was a sharp rise in the number of women murdered. According to the National Civil Police, 323 women and girls were killed between January and November, a rise over the corresponding period in 2004. The incidence of domestic violence also increased. In the first six months of the year, the emergency system of the National Civil Police received nearly 12,000 calls reporting incidents of domestic violence and 24 women were killed by partners or family members.

The report of the 2004 visit of the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women was published in February. She recommended that the government prevent, investigate and punish acts of violence against women, whoever the perpetrator, and prioritize ending impunity for these crimes. The authorities apparently took no steps to comply with the recommendations.

No progress was made in investigating cases of women who had been killed and, in some cases, raped in previous years. AI called on the authorities to properly investigate such cases, but no progress was evident by the end of 2005.

Human rights defenders

Four officials from the Human Rights Procurator's Office were arrested in April on charges of having committed "arbitrary acts" while monitoring the procedures followed in the deportation of an Ecuadorian doctor. He had been living in El Salvador for several years and was married to a Salvadorean citizen, and denied allegations that he had participated in political activities. The Human Rights Procurator's Office considered the arrests to be harassment of its officials, an obstruction to their lawful activities and a demonstration of the government's opposition to the institution's work. The four officials were released after three days.

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