Herbert Anaya
Encyclopedia
Herbert Ernesto Anaya Sanabria (died October 26, 1987) was the president of the NGO Human Rights Commission of El Salvador (CDHES). He was assassinated on October 26, 1987 close to his home. Herbert Anaya was the fourth leader of CDHES to be murdered or "disappeared
" during the 1980s, none of these cases being satisfactorily resolved. Early in 1993 Anaya's son was shot and wounded when armed men tried to intercept the car of his widow Mirna Perla de Anaya.
(FMLN). In addition he worked for the committee of the families of persons murdered or disappeared. On May 26, 1986 he was arrested, along with Reynaldo Blanco (future president of the CDHES) by members of the Treasury Police jailed in the La Esperanza prison for nine months where he was interrogated and tortured. In jail Anaya worked on a human rights record which included testimonies of 430 of the 432 inmates describing methods of torture applied to them. The 160 pages record and a video showing torture signs were smuggled outside and sent to the Marin County Interfaith Task Force. The human rights abuse record is now housed at the Archives at the University of Colorado at Boulder
Libraries. On February 2, 1987, Anaya was released as part of an exchange of prisoners.
Herbert Anaya was accused at that time by both the US government and the Salvadoran army of being a leader of the FMLN guerrilla. They claimed that the CDHES was a "rebel propaganda arm," although no conclusive evidence was brought forward.
After his release, Anaya began to denounce human rights violations and asserted that the death squads were directly under the orders of the military. These allegations were proved right by human rights NGOs.
. According to witnesses' testimonies three men were involved in the murder. Ballistic tests later showed that six shots were fired from the same weapon. His death caused strong reactions within El Salvador as well as abroad and led to demonstrations, on the following days, in the capital. His body was left in protest in front of the US embassy, and then carried to the high command of the armed forces.
National and international human rights groups and civilian associations expressed their concern. The National Union of Salvadoran Workers issued a statement according to which "Those who bear sole responsibility for this crime are José Napoleón Duarte
[the Salvadoran head of state], the US embassy ... and the high command of the armed forces". The West German government, the West German Social Democratic Party and the French government
requested that Duarte clarify "the circumstances of the crime." UN secretary general Javier Pérez de Cuéllar
, Americas Watch, Amnesty International
and other human rights groups also protested against this crime.
In protest against Anaya's assassination, the FMLN and the Revolutionary Democratic Front
(FDR) also suspended negotiations with the Duarte government on October 29, 1987. The same day, Reni Roldán resigned from the Commission of National Reconciliation, stating that "The murder of Anaya, the disappearance of university labour leader Salvador Ubau, and other events do not seem to be isolated incidents. They are all part of an institutionalised pattern of conduct."
s, the Salvadoran Army
or the FMLN was responsible for Anaya's death.
Allegations were made at the time that the Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo (ERP) had organized Anaya's assassination. Himself a member of ERP, Anaya favourized a peaceful solution, which might have clashed with others leaders' plans. Two months later police arrested ERP member Jorge Alberto Miranda Arévalo. Arévalo initially stated that he was involved in the plot as the look-out, a statement he later retracted saying that he was put under psychological pressure and sleep deprivation. Although he could not be identified by eyewitnesses, he was found guilty in 1991 and sentenced to the maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. However, the International Truth Commission stated that Arévalo's basic rights were violated in the trial and his treatment by the police.
However, these allegations against ERP were rejected by Anaya's wife as well as by the CDHES.
On the other hand Anaya's colleagues reported that he had received a number of direct and indirect threats from the Salvadoran government throughout 1987. Additionally, El Salvador's National Guard in March 1987 arrested Anaya's father who was interrogated about his son's activities.
Forced disappearance
In international human rights law, a forced disappearance occurs when a person is secretly abducted or imprisoned by a state or political organization or by a third party with the authorization, support, or acquiescence of a state or political organization, followed by a refusal to acknowledge the...
" during the 1980s, none of these cases being satisfactorily resolved. Early in 1993 Anaya's son was shot and wounded when armed men tried to intercept the car of his widow Mirna Perla de Anaya.
Life
During his law study in the 70s Herbert Anaya joined the student organisation AGEUS and was later one of the founders of the human rights organisation CDHES. In the 80s he became active in the Farabundo Martí National Liberation FrontFarabundo Martí National Liberation Front
The Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front is, since 1992, a left-wing political party in El Salvador and formerly a coalition of five revolutionary guerrilla organizations...
(FMLN). In addition he worked for the committee of the families of persons murdered or disappeared. On May 26, 1986 he was arrested, along with Reynaldo Blanco (future president of the CDHES) by members of the Treasury Police jailed in the La Esperanza prison for nine months where he was interrogated and tortured. In jail Anaya worked on a human rights record which included testimonies of 430 of the 432 inmates describing methods of torture applied to them. The 160 pages record and a video showing torture signs were smuggled outside and sent to the Marin County Interfaith Task Force. The human rights abuse record is now housed at the Archives at the University of Colorado at Boulder
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
Libraries. On February 2, 1987, Anaya was released as part of an exchange of prisoners.
Herbert Anaya was accused at that time by both the US government and the Salvadoran army of being a leader of the FMLN guerrilla. They claimed that the CDHES was a "rebel propaganda arm," although no conclusive evidence was brought forward.
After his release, Anaya began to denounce human rights violations and asserted that the death squads were directly under the orders of the military. These allegations were proved right by human rights NGOs.
Assassination
On October 26, 1987 Herbert Anaya was assassinated in the parking lot outside his home in the Zacamil district in El SalvadorEl Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
. According to witnesses' testimonies three men were involved in the murder. Ballistic tests later showed that six shots were fired from the same weapon. His death caused strong reactions within El Salvador as well as abroad and led to demonstrations, on the following days, in the capital. His body was left in protest in front of the US embassy, and then carried to the high command of the armed forces.
National and international human rights groups and civilian associations expressed their concern. The National Union of Salvadoran Workers issued a statement according to which "Those who bear sole responsibility for this crime are José Napoleón Duarte
José Napoleón Duarte
José Napoleón Duarte Fuentes was a Salvadoran political figure who, from March 3, 1980, to 1982, led the civil-military Revolutionary Government Junta that took power in a 1979 coup d'état...
[the Salvadoran head of state], the US embassy ... and the high command of the armed forces". The West German government, the West German Social Democratic Party and the French government
Cohabitation (government)
Cohabitation in government occurs in semi-presidential systems, such as France's system, when the President is from a different political party than the majority of the members of parliament. It occurs because such a system forces the president to name a premier that will be acceptable to the...
requested that Duarte clarify "the circumstances of the crime." UN secretary general Javier Pérez de Cuéllar
Javier Pérez de Cuéllar
Javier Pérez de Cuéllar y de la Guerra is a Peruvian diplomat who served as the fifth Secretary-General of the United Nations from January 1, 1982 to December 31, 1991. He studied in Colegio San Agustín of Lima, and then at Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú. In 1995, he ran unsuccessfully...
, Americas Watch, Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
and other human rights groups also protested against this crime.
In protest against Anaya's assassination, the FMLN and the Revolutionary Democratic Front
Revolutionary Democratic Front
The Revolutionary Democratic Front is a populist political party in El Salvador. It was founded in 2006 as a rightwing split from the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front. The party received 0.95% of the vote in the 18 January 2009 legislative election....
(FDR) also suspended negotiations with the Duarte government on October 29, 1987. The same day, Reni Roldán resigned from the Commission of National Reconciliation, stating that "The murder of Anaya, the disappearance of university labour leader Salvador Ubau, and other events do not seem to be isolated incidents. They are all part of an institutionalised pattern of conduct."
Investigations
In its report the Commssion on the Truth for El Salvador, established as part of the El Salvador peace agreement, stated that it could not establish for sure whether the death squadDeath squad
A death squad is an armed military, police, insurgent, or terrorist squad that conducts extrajudicial killings, assassinations, and forced disappearances of persons as part of a war, insurgency or terror campaign...
s, the Salvadoran Army
Salvadoran Army
The Salvadoran Army or Ejército Salvadoreño is the land branch and largest of the Military of El Salvador. In 2006 the government of El Salvador approached the Israeli ambassador to El Salvador seeking assistance in modernizing its army.-The Football War:...
or the FMLN was responsible for Anaya's death.
Allegations were made at the time that the Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo (ERP) had organized Anaya's assassination. Himself a member of ERP, Anaya favourized a peaceful solution, which might have clashed with others leaders' plans. Two months later police arrested ERP member Jorge Alberto Miranda Arévalo. Arévalo initially stated that he was involved in the plot as the look-out, a statement he later retracted saying that he was put under psychological pressure and sleep deprivation. Although he could not be identified by eyewitnesses, he was found guilty in 1991 and sentenced to the maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. However, the International Truth Commission stated that Arévalo's basic rights were violated in the trial and his treatment by the police.
However, these allegations against ERP were rejected by Anaya's wife as well as by the CDHES.
On the other hand Anaya's colleagues reported that he had received a number of direct and indirect threats from the Salvadoran government throughout 1987. Additionally, El Salvador's National Guard in March 1987 arrested Anaya's father who was interrogated about his son's activities.
External links
- Jose Gutierrez: The Killing of Herbert Anaya Sanabria, Green Left Online, 7 April 1993
- Truth Commissions Digital Collection: Reports: El Salvador - Summary of the case of Herbert Anaya Sanabria, United States Institute of PeaceUnited States Institute of PeaceThe United States Institute of Peace was created by Congress as a non-partisan, federal institution that works to prevent or end violent conflict around the world...
- Testimony of Herbert Anaya Sanabria