The study was released this morning by representatives of civil society organizations. /YM

Ten organizations in El Salvador this morning published findings concluding that there are violations of the right to association, an increase in police and military harassment of members of social organizations during peaceful demonstrations and protests, and an increase in harassment of members of social organizations during peaceful demonstrations and protests. He detailed that he was aware of the reduced difficulty in social activities. Acquiring meeting space and retaining its members.

The study “A Vigilant Civil Society: A Study of the Impact on the Right of Association” analyzed violations of participation, expression, and association through interviews and “focus groups” or group discussions through the experiences of 71 organizations in El Salvador. They interacted with women, environment, youth, education, health and community organizations, among others.

“Harassment is being carried out in the community with the intention of abandoning the land with the consent of the authorities and leaving everything there, but we are resisting,” members of the community sector said for the investigation. Stated.

The investigation also documented difficulties in registering legal status, administrative harassment by the state, attacks on freedom and personal integrity, information restrictions and espionage. “Nineteen of us were detained for the demonstration, each of us lost 30 minutes, and we left at 4am. Never before has there been such a military presence,” said another research participant. Told.

Salvador Novellino, Cristosar’s finance director, recounted Cristosar’s experiences when facing investigations and procedures at the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of the Interior. “The work of human rights organizations is always unpleasant, but in 2020 central government spaces started to close down,” he said.

Novellino reported that in January 2020, Cristosal received a notice from the Ministry of Finance to investigate Cristosal’s tax liability for 2019, and the case is pending in the Administrative Litigation Tribunal after a lengthy procedure. He also reported that the Home Office has requested new financial statements for the past several years, which are currently in the appeal stage.

Another member of the organization said the Home Office “took over a year to update the legal status” and in 2019 it meant they “lost the project” as there was no legal representative to sign the agreement. It is said that he was doing so.

The groups said the violation “impacts” “all rights to civil space.”

This research was carried out by Humanitarian Legal Aid, the Movement of Victims of the Regime (Movil), the Dismissed Workers’ Movement, Coppes, the UCA Institute for Human Rights (Iduka), Tracoda, the Foundation for Research on the Application of Law (Fespad), the National Development Foundation (Funde), ), Cecade, Passionist Social Service (SSP), Cristosal.