The United Nations
Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, James Anaya, visited El
Salvador August 13 – 17. The occasion
marks the first visit by an expert appointed by the UN Human Rights Council to
monitor the human rights situation of indigenous people in El Salvador. Anaya met with government officials,
indigenous leaders, and held town meetings. He visited the towns of Panchimalco, Cojutepeque, Cacaopera, and Izalco.
In 1932, Izalco was
one of the towns that suffered through the massacre known as La Matanza (The
Slaughter). The Salvadoran army murdered
25,000 Pipil people in less than 90 days. The Pipil language, Nahuat, was outlawed, and the dead were buried in
mass graves. James Anaya, met with
Izalqueños at one of these
mass graves to discuss human rights. Here is some of what I recorded of the meeting.
A quote from James Anaya’s initial response to his findings:
"Regardless of the
important efforts of the government to repair the historical discrimination of
the indigenous peoples of El Salvador, it is more than evident that these
peoples continue to suffer the loss of cultural knowledge and the full capacity
to express their identity and exercise their corresponding rights. This loss adds to the conditions of extreme
poverty and marginalization that characterize the most disadvantaged groups in
the country."
-James Anaya
“No obstante los
importantes esfuerzos del Gobierno para reparar la histórica marginación de los
pueblos indígenas en El Salvador, es más que evidente que estos pueblos siguen
sufriendo la pérdida de conocimiento cultural y de la capacidad plena para
manifestar su identidad y ejercer los derechos correspondientes. Esta pérdida
se suma a las condiciones de extrema pobreza y marginalización que caracterizan
a los sectores más desventajados del país."
- James Anaya
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