On 5/25/04 4:23 PM, "Sherman, Rachel" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote
Hey Folks!
Just wanted you all to know that Sara Stalman alerted our office about this letter (thank you) and that Congressman Michaud will in fact be a co-signer.
Hope all is well in beautiful Maine!
Rachel Sherman
Legislative Assistant
Congressman Mike Michaud
(202) 225-6306
Protect the Right to Free Speech!
Sign Letter Protesting Police Repression and Judicial Harassment of CAFTA Opponents in El Salvador
DEADLINE COB Wed., May 26th
May 21, 2004
Dear Colleague:
Please join us in writing to the Salvadoran government to express concern regarding apparent persecution of union leaders for their opposition to the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) and government plans to privatize health care.
Ricardo Monge, Secretary General of the STISSS health care workers union, and Javier Ayala, Secretary of Organization of the STISSS, were arrested during the peaceful occupation of the San Salvador Cathedral on April 28, protesting CAFTA and privatization. In spite of the fact that the two leaders did not take part in the occupation and had already been detained by the time riot police provoked a rash of violence in the downtown area, Salvadoran Attorney General Belisario Artiga charged them both with "acts of terrorism" and accused Monge of being the "intellectual author" of violence. When a judge exonerated Monge, Ayala and 35 others of all but a minor charge on May 5, Artiga appealed the case and the government refused to release the leaders. Despite tireless work by their legal team, daily protests by the union and its supporters, and political pressure by the US-based Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES) and international solidarity, the unionist have now spent 20 days in detainment.
The ruling ARENA party now is considering creating a new "anti-disturbances" law that would criminalize street protests and make it easier to prosecute those arrested during anti-government actions. The law would expand on draconian "Patriot Act" style legislation that ARENA has sought to implement since the successful health care strike by workers and doctors in 2003.
On May 18, Monge, Ayala and three other union members began a hunger strike to protest the Salvadoran government's continued illegal detainment of the union leaders.
Monge and Ayala remain in the Isidro Menéndez Judicial Center, while their supporters and the other hunger strikers continue to rally outside. The STISSS is calling on defenders of free speech and the rights of labor to write to Attorney General Artiga to protest this persecution of labor activists for daring to voice their opposition to CAFTA and the privatization of their jobs.
The police and the courts are not means to enforce political consensus by harassment, and exercise of the right to free speech is not terrorism. Please join us in sending this message by signing the letter below. To sign on to this letter, please contact Daniel Brito or Stephanie Krenrich via email.
Sincerely,
s/ /s
Raul M. Grijalva Lane Evans
Member of Congress Member of Congress
Lic. Attorney General Belisario Artiga
c.c. Mauricio Ramos Falla, Director of the ISSS
Dear Attorney General Artiga:
We write with concern regarding the current situation of the STISSS healthcare workers' union. There appears to be a pattern of illegal firings, police repression and judicial harassment directed against STISSS due to their opposition to government polices.
Credible reports indicate that over 150 healthcare workers have been illegally fired since September of 2002, most of them STISSS activists, and that none of them have been given due process. The union has been outspoken in its support of the FMLN opposition party and in its opposition to the proposed Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) with the United States. The union believes that CAFTA would lead to the privatization of services, harm their members, and increase poverty in El Salvador .
On April 28, during a protest at the San Salvador Cathedral denouncing the illegal firings of healthcare workers, Ricardo Monge, the Secretary General of the STISSS union, and Javier Ayala, Secretary of Organization, were violently arrested. Riot police went on to attack the remaining participants with rubber bullets and tear gas, eventually injuring 23 people and arresting 34 more. Monge and Ayala are still being held in jail even though most of the charges against them, including terrorism and destruction of private property have been dropped.
The repressive police action against peaceful protests and apparent judicial harassment of union leaders for expressing opposition to government policies concern us greatly.
It is also our understanding that the Salvadoran government is considering legislation that would make it easier to prosecute people for actions during street protests.
While we are respectful of your jurisdiction and prerogatives as elected officials of the Salvadoran Government, we feel compelled to speak in defense of the human rights of STISSS leaders and membership. The right to organize for collective representation and the right to free speech are recognized in international law and universally accepted by democratic governments. They certainly apply to Salvadoran workers and political organizers.
We feel that violent repression against peaceful protests and judicial persecution of those who exercise their free speech rights have no place in a democratic society. The police and the courts are not instruments to produce political consensus.
We respectfully urge you to affirm respect for free speech by dropping all charges and releasing Monge and Ayala. We also urge Lic. Ramos Falla to affirm respect for the right to organize without fear of retaliation by stopping the illegal firings of union workers and rehiring all fired workers.
We will continue to monitor closely the situation of health care workers in El Salvador and whether the rights to organize and to speak freely will be respected. We sincerely hope for a timely remedy of this situation and look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Rachel Sherman
Legislative Assistant
Congressman Mike Michaud
(202) 225-6306
