El Salvador: Information on the current penalties imposed on those who deserted military service in the 1980s
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 August 1994 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | SLV17944.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, El Salvador: Information on the current penalties imposed on those who deserted military service in the 1980s, 1 August 1994, SLV17944.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6abad9c.html [accessed 19 October 2022] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The information that follows was provided by the office of the Military Attaché of El Salvador in Washington, DC (13 July 1994). Non-governmental sources in El Salvador and abroad were also contacted, but information on the subject was unavailable at the time this Response was written.
The current penalties for desertion, regardless of the year it occurred, are set out in the Code of Military Justice under Title V: Offenses Against Military Service (Delitos contra el servicio militar). The tribunals trying cases of deserters might take into consideration the current circumstances when judging a case, but information on judgements passed in individual cases is not publicly available at the moment. In light of the peace efforts and other developments taking place in El Salvador, the armed forces and the government of El Salvador are currently considering amendments to the Code of Military Justice and to the laws on military service. The subjects under consideration include the legal situation of those who deserted during the armed conflict of the 1980s.
This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
Reference
Office of the Military Attaché, Embassy of El Salvador, Washington, DC. 13 July 1994. Telephone interview with representative.
Additional Sources Consulted
News from Americas Watch [New York]. Monthly.
Central America NewsPak [Austin, Tex.]. Bi-monthly.
Central America Report [Guatemala City]. Weekly.
Central America Update [Toronto]. Monthly.
Latin America Press [Lima]. Weekly.
Latin American Weekly Report [London]. Weekly.
Latin American Regional Reports: Central America & the Caribbean [London]. Monthly.
Material from the Indexed Media Review (IMR) or country files containing articles and reports from diverse sources (primarily dailies and periodicals) from the Weekly Media Review.
Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) reports. Daily.
Newspapers and periodicals pertaining to the appropriate region.
On-line searches of news articles.
Note on oral sources:
Oral sources are usually contacted when documentary sources have been exhausted. However, oral sources must agree to be quoted in a publicly available Response to Information Request. If they refuse, the Response will read "no information currently available." Contacting oral sources is also subject to time constraints; for example, there are periods of the year when academics are unavailable.
Note:
This list is not exhaustive. Country-specific books available in the Resource Centre are not included.
