El Salvador: Incidents of violence against ARENA party politicians, political activists, party members and supporters (1996 to April 1999)

The following information is additional to that already found in SLV29515.E of 15 June 1998.

IPS reported in June 1996 that four law students from the University of El Salvador were accused of allegedly attacking former National Republican Alliance (ARENA) president Alfredo Cristiani with two bombing attempts (20 June 1996). The four students stated they were innocent and that they were the victims of a campaign of "political blackmail" (ibid.). However, the police stated that one bomb had exploded near the home of the former president and the other, near one of his businesses (ibid.). According to the report, the four students admitted that they had been members of the Revolutionary Army of the People, which later became the Democratic Party (PD), a group that had splintered from the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN).

In January 1997, Reuters reported that following "a wave of revenge killings in the countryside that immediately followed peace...political violence is relatively rare" (16 Jan. 1997). However, both the FMLN and ARENA parties accused each other of instigating political violence before the 1997 legislative and municipal elections (Reuters 8 Mar. 1997).

The Washington Post reported that after opinion polls showed that the FMLN had a lead over ARENA, the latter party "verbally attacked both the pollsters and the FMLN" (23 Feb. 1997). Reuters reported the death of a FMLN supporter during the political election campaign (8  Mar. 1997.). The FMLN stated that the ARENA party was indirectly responsible for this killing (DPA 13 Mar. 1997). ARENA accused the FMLN of injuring six of its members during a confrontation in San Martin, a suburb of San Salvador (ibid.).

Additional information on incidents of political violence directed at the ARENA party could not be found among the sources consulted.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate 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. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Deutsche-Presse Agentur (DPA). 13 February 1997. Klaus Blume. "El Salvador's Elections Overshadowed by Civil War Past." (NEXIS)

InterPress Service (IPS). 20 June 1996. Juan José Dalton. "Four Law Students Are Accused of Attempting to Kill Ex-President Alfredo Cristiani." Central America NewsPak [Austin]. 24 June-7 July 1996, Vol. 11, No.11, 2.

Reuters. 8 March 1997. "Salvador Attack Leaves One Dead, Three Injured." (NEXIS)

_____. 16 January 1997. Alberto Barrera. "El Salvador Is a Nation Reborn Five Years After War." (NEXIS)

The Washington Post. 23 February 1997. Douglas Farah. "Salvadorans Reminded of War's Polarization; Ex-Rebels Lead in Polls for Midterm Elections, Provoking Furious Reaction on Right." (NEXIS)

Additional Sources Consulted

Central America NewsPak [Austin]. 1996-1999.

Central America Report [Guatemala City]. 1997-1999.

      Latinamerica Press [Lima]. 1996-1999.

Latin America Regional Reports: Caribbean & Central America Report [London]. 1996-1999.

Electronic sources: IRB Databases, Internet, REFWORLD and WNC.