A. The third force is not a political option, but it is important for broadening alliances, giving impetus to action platforms and enriching the political life of the nation. But since it has no definitive program and since it does not represent a military force, it cannot offer an alternative in the war, because in El Salvador the situation is polarized between the armed forces and the United States on the one side, and the FMLN-FDR on the other. Political prisoners in El Salvador POLITICAL PRISONERS in El Salvador are held in two prisons, Mariona for men and llopango for women. Mercedes Sanz, from the Socialist Workers Party (PSO), Swiss section of the Fourth International, was able to visit Mariona prison. She describes conditions there in the following interview given to Arnold Berthu on March 20, 1987.
Question. You managed to get into Mariona prison. Can you tell us what its main features are?
Answer. The prison has several sections. There is section C, the psychiatric wing. That is where they keep the prisoners who are considered "mentally ill." There are about 50 of them, and they cannot move around freely. Section 2 is where the political prisoners are held. There are 800 to 1,000 of them. There is a section for common-law prisoners, where about 2,000 people are being
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held, including members of the death squads. There is the "pre-trial" section, where you find military men facing trial in military courts.
The prison is located approximately four kilometers from the center of San Salvador on the road leading to Quetzaltepec. There is a big iron gate blocking the road that leads to the prison building. At the gate, the guards ask visitors to leave their passports or their identity cards, and note the name of the prisoner who they want to see. They then search the food parcels for the prison. Finally, men and women are separated and very thoroughly searched. Once this administrative part is finished, you go into the prison and end up in the common-law prisoners' courtyard.
On visiting days, groups gather around some of these prisoners, who make speeches. It was explained to me that they talk about their personal cases - that was true of a woman who was shouting - or they preach on behalf of some religious sect.
From there, we went into the political-prisoners' wing. There is no door separating the common-law prisoners from the political prisoners. It, like the doors of the cells, was taken away after the October 1986 earthquake for fear of further tremors. Nonetheless, there is not much interchange between the two sectors. The political prisoners are afraid of informers infiltrated among the common prisoners. The informers. come essentially from the pre-trial section, where there are military men on whom punishments have been imposed.
Q. Are the political prisoners organized?
A. Since September 15, 1980, the "politicals" have had a committee. Its task is to get better conditions of imprisonment and to defend the prisoners' rights. There is also a Junta Directiva (Leadership Council). It is elected at a general assembly and coordinates the activity of the following commissions:
- The Culture, Propaganda and Education Committee. It organizes courses on reading, literature, philosophy and politics (when "professors" are available). It is prisoners themselves who do the teaching.
-... The Sports Committee. For example, they have formed a football team, named after Farabundo Marti. The politicals have won the right to play in tournaments outside the prison, and travel about with up to 200 prisoners as supporters.
- The Social Assistance Committee, which takes charge of the clinic, hygiene and maintenance problems (electricity, water, etc.)
- The Discipline Committee, which settles problems that may 18 arise among prisoners. as the detainees are taken to make a
There is also a legal aid bureau deposition before their captors instead organized entirely by the politicals. of before a judge. It gives legal advice. Finally, there is If, through torture, they get a con. an internal bureau that maintains an fession, it is considered sufficient to up-to-date list of prisoners, with a justify preventive detention, which series of vital statistics (date of entry, can last up to 121 days. This period and so on). of preventive detention is served in
The prisoners have organized a Mariona prison. Within 60 days, series of actions, including hunger the prisoners have to be brought strikes. The longest one lasted 57 days before a military investigating judge. in 1985. At that time, they can confirm or deny the statements that they made
Q. Can you give an example of to the repressive forces. They can say such actions and tell us what it pro- that it was obtained through torture.
In August 1986, after the prisonwon the right to get ers formed the Legal Aid Bureau, conjugal visits from their compan- the military authorities changed their ions for up to 12 hours, once a tactics. After two weeks detention, the detainees are immediately brought first, the prison authorities before a military investigating judge demanded payment. The prisoners without going through Mariona. The rejected this system, went on hunger pressure on them is thus greater, strike and refused to go back to their inasmuch as they may be tortured cells at the fixed hour, 6pm. That way, or "disappear" if they refuse to the guards couldn't call the roll. Their confirm their confessions. action paid off. It should be added that defence
Furthermore, of the prisoners by lawyers is made October 9, 1986, on the eve of the difficult, as the latter are threatened earthquake, seems to me to be especi- with death by the paramilitary groups ally important. On that day, the or accused of the same sort of offence political prisoners decided to charged against their clients. armed guards from coming into the Some lawyers who get their clients section of the prison reserved for off through their ties with the milipoliticals. They barricaded themselves tary judges exact high fees. A member in their section. The Discipline Com- of the Human Rights Committee mittee took charge of the roll call was released on October 1, after his and handed over a report to the family paid 6,600 colons. The average guards. monthly wage of a worker in the
After that action, they got the cpaital is 450 colons; an agricultural guards to agree to come in unarmed worker gets 240. and accompanied by a member of the Discipline Committee, who called January 13, the rightthe roll. wing parliamentary opposition refused
Now, the prisoners go back to their to vote for renewing the state of siege cells at 9pm, and the doors and bars that has been in force for several have been removed. The rest of the years. Duarte has not been able to time, they move about freely in their the two-thirds vote necessary, section. at least for the time being. What is the situation of the political prisoners The political prisoners seem to at this time? have managed to impose a sort of A. Any individual arrested and "dual power" within the prison. charged with a political crime can Can you explain what happens before be held for 72 hours by the security imprisonment? bodies. But, recently this limit has
A. Some 75 per cent of the not been respected. political prisoners are from peasant The situation is complex, because backgrounds. Many of them have not nearly all the political prisoners, taken part in FMLN activities, but whether they are in Mariona or Ilopanthey are considered to be part of its go, have been jailed under Decree social base and therefore are accused No. 50 of the state of siege. Not of collaborating with, or membership long ago, one of Duarte's stooges, of, the FMLN.
Ricardo Acevedo Perola, announced
According to Decree No. 50, in that a bill is going to be submitted force under the state of siege, the to the legislative assembly to replace army or the police can detain a citizen Decree No. 50. Its context is not they suspect of belonging to the known. FMLN for two weeks. Personally, I think that they are
During that period, the detainee going to introduce reforms reflecting has no right of defence. This time is the international pressures brought used by the security forces to force to bear in the United Nations. They confessions through torture. Such are going to alter the facade without confessions are extrajudicial inasmuch changing the content.
International Viewpoint 4 May 1987