In a virtual discussion led by the Inter-American Dialogue, the US legislature regrets that El Salvador’s democracy is in danger and that the culture of impunity is still present.
Jim McGovern, a member of the United States House of Representatives, is probably the official in that country who knows El Salvador best and the challenges that democracy faces.
Nearly four decades after his initial visit, and having arrived in El Salvador about a hundred times, he has managed to identify El Salvador’s progress from the civil war to the creation of a new institutional framework, but now he is identifying serious dangers for the state. . of the law.
In a discussion organized by the Inter-American Dialogue, the Democratic legislator stated that he is “disappointed and concerned” about the authoritarian path being followed in El Salvador.
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In the nearly two years that Bukele has been president, McGovern has been a staunch critic of some periods of abuse by the Bukele government, including the military takeover of the Legislative Assembly in February 2020 or the weakening of institutions and rights. People.
In the virtual forum, the congressman expressed concern about attempts to undermine freedom of the press, weaken civil society and opponents or critics of the government. These, he said, are “dangerous trends that should affect us all.”
McGovern stated that the US Congress will continue to monitor events in El Salvador and will continue to monitor how democracy can be supported.
In addition, he said they will wait to see if “the president or the recently elected official majority in the Legislative Assembly, democratically elected, will not use these democratic means to evolve into an authoritarian system.”
Culture of impunity is still present
Jim McGovern also lamented that in El Salvador, the culture of impunity has not lost ground or managed to break. Aside from the corruption among the elites and the lack of punishment for the misuse of public funds, he regretted that massacres such as El Mozote’s in December 1981 still go unpunished.
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At the same time, he took the opportunity to draw attention to the work of the judge responsible for that case, Jorge Guzmán de San Francisco Gotera.
Judge Guzmán has followed the case professionally and despite attacks from the president, his government and threats to his life, McGovern said.
In addition, he called on Attorney General Raúl Melara to avoid becoming an obstacle in Guzmán’s work to uncover the truth behind the bloodiest carnage of the Civil War.