In a virtual conversation led by Inter-American Dialogue, the American legislator regrets that the democracy of El Salvador is in danger and that the culture of impunity remains present.
Jim McGovern, a member of the House of Representatives of the United States Congress, is probably the official in this country who knows El Salvador best and the challenges facing his democracy.
Nearly four decades after his first visit, and having arrived in El Salvador about a hundred times, he has managed to identify El Salvador’s progress from the civil war to the establishment of a new institutional, but now identifies serious dangers to the rule of law.
In a conversation organized by Inter-American Dialogue, the Democratic lawmaker said he was “disappointed and concerned” about the authoritarian path being taken in El Salvador.
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In Bukele’s nearly two years in office, McGovern has been a critical ferry for some episodes of abuse of power by Bukele’s management, including the military takeover of the Legislature in February 2020 or institutional weakening. and human rights.
In the virtual forum, the congressman expressed concern over attempts to undermine press freedom, weaken civil society and opponents or critics of government. These are, he said, “dangerous trends that should worry us all.”
McGovern said the US Congress will continue to monitor events in El Salvador and how its democracy can be supported.
In addition, he expressed that they will be waiting to see if “the president or the newly elected official majority in the Legislative Assembly, democratically elected, will not use these democratic means to move towards an authoritarian system.”
Culture of impunity is still present
Jim McGovern also lamented that in El Salvador, the culture of impunity has not lost ground or managed to break. Beyond the corruption between elites and the lack of punishment for the misuse of public resources, he lamented that massacres such as that of Mozote in December 1981 continue with impunity.
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At the same time, Jorge Guzmán de San Francisco Gotera took the opportunity to highlight the work of the judge in charge of this case.
“Judge Guzmán has followed the case with professionalism and despite attacks by the president, his government and threats against his life,” McGovern noted.
He also called on Attorney General Raúl Melara to avoid being an obstacle to Guzmán’s job of finding the truth behind the bloodiest massacre of the civil war.