Posted again Jan 6-7, 1991; helicopter incident, unresolved, may be
usd by Bush to renew aid to ES.
==================================================================
From midway!arthur!harelb Tue Nov  6 19:46:24 CST 1990
Subject: BACKGROUND on: Congress Cuts Funding of Salvadoran Army
Date: Wed, 7 Nov 90 01:28:12 GMT

   "Amnesty International has concluded that the Salvadoran `death
   squads' are simply used to shield the government from accountability
   for the torture, `disappearance' and extrajudicial executions
   committed in their name. The squads are made up of *regular army and
                            ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
   police agents*, acting in uniform or plain clothes, *under the orders
   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
   of superior officers*."
   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
	Amnesty International, "El Salvador: ``Death Sqauds'' -- A
	Government Strategy"
	[emphasis added; from Who Runs the ``Death Squads''", pp. 8-9]

The following, AML-library file "AI.ES.briefs", is a collection of
quotes from this report by Amnesty International (ordering information
at the end) These brief quotes are divided into three sections which
may be titled: "Who runs the ``Death Squads''"; "Who are the victims";
and "To what extent, if any, have the criminals been held
accountable?"

Aside from being one of the top effectively censored facts about the
"democracy we are supporting" in El Salvador, the Salvadoran army's
*strategy* of murdering civilian noncombatants -peasants, members of
cooperatives, etc (see below)- and it's immunity from prosecution are
crucial to keep in mind to avoid the fatal mistake of linking U.S. aid
strictly to the few high-profile cases such as the murder of the
Jesuits. As one activist wrote some months ago in frustration:

   There will, surely, be an attempt to ram military aid through on
   the grounds that the government of El Salvador has shown its good
   faith by pursuing the murder of the priests.  If that works, it
   is the fault of critics and dissidents, who have focused on the
   murder of prominent figures as if that were more important than
   massive slaughter, torture, and terror when the targets are less
   prominent.  Who is calling for an inquiry into the death squad 
   assassination of Hector Oqueli a few days ago, not to speak of
   the murder, torture, and disappearance of innumerable others in
   what remains, as it has always been, a government policy of
   intimidation, just as AI says.

Read on...
------------------------------------------------------------------

		    Who Runs the ``Death Squads''?
                    ==============================

	"The testimony of armed forces personnel, the details of
thousands of case studies and other information examined by Amnesty
International lead to the conclusion that actions attributed by
authorities to "death squads" are routinely carried out by regular
units of the armed forces which include the military and the security
services, and by special intelligence units that incorporate civilian
gunmen under their supervision and control." [Conclusions, p. 44]

	"The Salvadorian Government maintains that `death squad'-style
killings are the work of extremist groups beyond its control. However,
there is overwhelming evidence to suggest that the squads are made up
of regular troops and police -- that they form an intrinsic part of
the security apparatus" [Back cover]

[Plus see opening quote]

----------------------------------------------------------------

[Continued in next article]

******************************************************************
[This 50 page report, with pictures (which are clearer in the Spanish
edition), is only $5 from Amnesty International, Publications, 322
Eighth Ave., New York, NY 10001. Ask for "El Salvador: ``Death
Squads'' -- A Government Strategy", first published in October, 1988;
or call Amnesty at: (212)807-8400 (ask for "publications") No credit
card necessary. [I also have more recent AI publications, not on line,
documenting the continued terror]
******************************************************************

[More extensive excerpts are available in the AML file "AI.ES.rprt";
but if you view that, you may as well (and should) spend the $5 to see
the originl]

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