Civil War in El Salvador: 1980-1992
The Civil War in El Salvador between the Salvadoran government and the FMLN (Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front) killed around 75,000 Salvadorans and tortured thousands more. Hidden trauma of the country. Liberation theology organized the poor into base communities through their churches--ensure not essentially political, but truly the only way for them to have a voice. Oft-quoted: "We who have a voice must speak for the voiceless"
On March 12, 1977, Padre Rutilio Grande and two of his companions were assassinated by machine gun fire Salvadoran government forces as they were driving near the village of El Paisnal in the Aguilares parish. Rutilio Grande and Oscar Romero were close friends This memorial by the side of the road in rural El Salvador marks the site of their murder. Before the metal fence was erected around it, the memorial was destroyed and vandalized several times. There are pockmarks in the metal of the cross which our companion, Gene Palumbo, informed us appear to be from bullets shot from further away.
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The picture above was taken in a small chapel called "La Divina Providencia" on the outskirts of El Salvador. Translated into English, the words behind the crucifix say, "At this altar, Monsignor Oscar A. Romero offered his life to God for his people."
Oscar Romero, the archbishop of San Salvador, was assassinated by United States backed government forces on March 24, 1980. He was shot through the open door of the church by a man sitting in a car outside as he lifted the chalice at the end of the consecration of the Mass. The previous Sunday, Romero had outspokenly condemned the Salvadoran army for tortures, disappearances, and human rights abuses. As archbishop, he committed the Catholic Church to the fight for the liberation of the poor and the condemnation of injustice. His legacy still pervades the country today; his face can be seen on t-shirts, painted on walls, in memorials, especially in Catholic environments and organizations with a commitment to the rights of the poor. After his death, an 11 year long bloody civil war between the FMLN guerrilla forces and the government broke out; thousands were tortured and disappeared. A Congress inquiry in the late 80's and early 90's showed that 85% of human rights abuses were committed by the US backed government forces, 7% by the FMLN, and 8% could not be determined. |
I met the woman on the left while traveling with Gene Palumbo, who introduced us for an interview. She lives in a small canton about an hour outside of El Salvador, and is a well-respected community organizer and leader and member of the FMLN. During the war, she sewed uniforms for the guerilla fighters. Also during the war, four of her five children died--one from sickness and three from war. As a result of her involvement with the FMLN, she was kidnapped and detained for eight days without food, water, or sleep, until international and heavy NGO pressure forced the government to release her. During this time, she was tortured both mentally and physically and gang raped. Upon her return to her house, she fled to live in the hills with the other guerilla fighters and continued her work with them.
For the liberation oppressed by the government--may they find a way to express themselves without fear of retribution.