26 de February de 2010 Press Release

Salvadoran State in debt with García Prieto family

San Salvador, El Salvador, February 22, 2010.

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights noted that the State of El Salvador still has not met all of the measures ordered in the sentence given in Garcia Prieto’s case, issued on November 20, 2007. This was established by the Court in a decision issued on February 18, after a public hearing on January 28 this year, attended by the Human Rights Institute of the Universidad Centroamericana Jose Simeon Canas “(IDHUCA) and the Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL), as representatives of the victims. There were also the state delegation and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).

The IACHR considered that the State “is obliged to intensify their efforts and take all appropriate action, without delay, to proceed with the case of the murder of Ramón Mauricio García Prieto Giralt and acts of threats and harassment suffered by Mr. José Mauricio García Prieto Hirlemann and Mrs. Gloria Giralt de García Prieto”. Ramón Mauricio was killed in the city of San Salvador by a “death squad” on June 10, 1994.

In this regard, IDHUCA and CEJIL reported that since the ruling was issued there have been no proceedings in order to determine the facts. They said they have not yet considered the statements given by the Inter-American Court included in its ruling, which aim to resume the proceedings that were not made properly or start those which were not carried out.

Also pending is the extent of repair concerning the medical and psychological care for Ramón Mauricio’s parents. Its implementation should have started from the moment the sentence was issued. State troopers were committed to fulfill this task shortly.

The Court recognized as positive the State’s commitment to republish parts of the sentence, in a newspaper of national circulation, due to the fact that the previous presented deficiencies that had been identified by the victims.

The Court indicated that it will continue to monitor the outstanding issues of compliance and required the State to submit, by May 5, 2010, a report thereon.

IDHUCA and CEJIL request that the State complies with the order given by the Inter-American Court, so that the struggle of Gloria and Mauricio García Prieto will ultimately result in finding the truth of what happened to Ramón Mauricio García Prieto. In this sense, they would be able to find those responsible for threats and harassment suffered over years, and as a form of retaliation for his constant and courageous demand for justice.

 

Contact Information

In El Salvador

IDHUCA

Henry Paúl Fino Solórzano

(503) 2210 – 66 00 ext. 411 ó 412

E-Mail: paulfino@hotmail.com

 

In Costa Rica

CEJIL

Nancy Marín

(506) 2280-7473

E-Mail: nmarin@twi.btq.mybluehost.me