Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders Annual Report 2005 - El Salvador

Harassment of Mr. Miguel Montenegro174

On 24 August 2005, Mr. Miguel Montenegro, director of the Human Rights Commission of El Salvador (Comisión de Derechos Humanos de El Salvador – CEDHES), was followed by a vehicle with tinted windows.

On 26 August 2005, another unregistered car was parked on the road where his mother lives and where he often comes.

On 29 August 2005, a man visited the homes of several of Mr. Montenegro's relatives and requested to see him.

These acts of harassment followed Mr. Montenegro's various statements denouncing fraud related to the government's repressive policies seeking to put an end to Maras violence175 in the country, which caused serious human rights violations. He made statements during radio programmes, in particular on 22 August 2005 on La Klave and Chapararrastique, and on 29 August 2005 on Notimex, Radio France International and Radio Australia.


[Refworld note: This report as posted on the FIDH website (www.fidh.org) was in pdf format with country chapters run together by region. Footnote numbers have been retained here, so do not necessarily begin at 1.]

174. See Urgent Appeal SLV 001/0905/OBS 080.

175. The Maras are groups of young delinquents spread over different regions of the country.

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