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Prisoner Release: Chapultepec Peace Agreement

Implementations

Prisoner Release – 1992

On 23 January 1992, the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador granted amnesty for those responsible for political crimes and offenses. The amnesty applied to 50 men and 30 women jailed for their support of the FMLN. Notable exceptions are offenses within the purview of the Commission on the Truth and individuals who were already convicted by a jury. Political detainees covered by the amnesty were released.¹

La Esperanza Penitentiary in San Salvador was raided on 27 November 1992 in an apparent prisoner rescue operation. Twenty-eight prisoners escaped through a hole blown in the wall. Reports indicated that the prison was believed to hold 15 political prisoners. President Cristiani denied that the government held any political prisoners, claiming that all were released by the 23 January 1992 amnesty decree. He blamed the FMLN for the attack, but the FMLN denied its involvement.²

“Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador,” United Nations Security Council (S/23999), May 26, 1992; “El Salvador to grant amnesty to political prisoners,” United Press International, February 12, 1992.
“International News,” The Associated Press, November 27, 1992.

Prisoner Release – 1993

After the release of the report of the Commission on the Truth, the Government issued a general amnesty to protect those implicated for human rights violations. As a consequence, notorious convicted criminals were freed, such as FAES officers Guillermo Benavides and Yusshy Rene Mendoza, who were convicted for the 1989 murder of six Jesuit priests and sentenced to thirty years in prison.¹ This ran counter to the specific recommendations of the Commission on the Truth and betrayed the intentions behind the Peace Agreement provisions on prisoner release, which were to release the political prisoners associated with the FMLN.

“International News Briefs,” The Associated Press, April 2, 1993.

Prisoner Release – 1994

Political prisoners detained for their alleged political crimes or support to the FMLN were released in 1992.