Truth or Reconciliation Mechanism – 1993

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Truth or Reconciliation Mechanism – 1993

1993

Full Implementation Full implementation

The commission did not meet its 6-months deadline to submit its final report. The report was handed over on 15 March 1993 in New York, United States. It had received over 22,000 complaints of serious acts of violence occurring between January 1980 and July 1991. Over 60% of the complaints related to extrajudicial killings, over 25% to forced disappearances, and over 20% to torture. The majority of the violations were committed by the FAES and other Government agents. The Commission’s report included a number of recommendations for administrative, legislative and constitutional reform to hold perpetrators of violations accountable and prevent future crimes.1 As the report implicated some generals, the United States asked president Cristiani and gave him one week to purge 15 officers. The Secretary General also asked to get rid of implicated generals.2

The High Command of the FAES, the President of the Supreme Court, some high-ranking government officials and political leaders, and segments of the media rejected the conclusions and recommendations of the Commission. A week after the release of the report, the Legislative Assembly approved a general amnesty, negating the Commission’s recommendations and drawing swift criticism from the FMLN.3 UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali criticized the amnesty law, insisting that the full implementation of the recommendations of the Commission on the Truth was an integral part of the peace process.4

ONUSAL saw the report of the Commission on the Truth as one of the most importation human rights developments during its mission. It was clear that it viewed the recommendations of the Commission on the Truth as mandatory for the parties to the conflict.5

As death squad activity—mainly directed at former FMLN and affiliated combatants—flared up again after the general amnesty, the FMLN leadership complained that the Commission on the Truth failed to adequately investigate the death squad phenomenon and demanded that the Commissioners release the names of all known death squad members still operating in El Salvador. The Commissioners did not release any additional names than those in the report, which included only a few key FAES decision-makers.6 On April 2, 1993, the government agreed to remove 15 high-ranking military officers according to the TRC recommendation.7

  1. “Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador,” United Nations Security Council (S/25812), May 21, 1993.
  2. “The World this Week: Truth time for the generals in El Salvador,” The Independent (London), March 15, 1993.
  3. ibid., UNSC (S/25812).
  4. “U.N. chief criticized Salvador’s amnesty for war abuses,” United Press International, International Section, March 24, 1993.
  5. “Report of the Director of the Human Rights Division of the United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador up to 30 April 1993,” United Nations General Assembly / Security Council (A/47/968 S/26033), July 2, 1993.
  6. Jorge Pina, “El Salvador: FMLN leader demands and end to death squad impunity,” Inter-Press Service, October 26, 1993.
  7. “El Salvador: Government Agrees to Dismiss Top Military Officers,” IPS-Inter Press Service, April 2, 1993.