May 16^th , 2012

On May 14th, hundreds of family members and community members from the department of Chalatenango and elsewhere around the country gathered in Las Aradas, near the shores of the Sumpul River to commemorate the massacre of over 600 civilians by the armed forces of El Salvador and Honduras on May 14th, 1980. The event was marked by a mass, the testimonies of survivors and speeches by representatives from The Ministry of Culture, the UN High Commission on Refugees and Tutela Legal, the Catholic Church’s human rights arm in El Salvador.

Sajid Herrera, National Director of the Investigation of Culture and Art for the Secretary of Culture, spoke before the crowd and read the official document declaring the site of the massacre a cultural patrimony site. The declaration recognized and lamented the role of the armed forces in the massacre and prohibits the construction of any kind of building or business that would affect the site’s historical and emotional value.

An official from the UN High Commission on Refugees also spoke at the event, explaining through tears how he had helped survivors of the massacre and other refugees move to refugee camps in Honduras. Like in previous years, many Hondurans also crossed the Sumpul River to participate in the commemoration.

Below are photos from the commemoration.

To read coverage of the event by the Diario CoLatino, click here>>

Agustin Menjivar, president of the CCR speaking at the event

A Representative of the Secretary of Culture reading the cultural patrimony declaration

Mario Alas of San Jose Las Flores performing a song about the massacre

Examples of modern day political assasinations posted on the trees

Members of the Cripdes and Sister Cities teams at the commemoration