The Latin American Studies Association (LASA) condemns the issuance of a provisional arrest order by the San Francisco Gotera Investigative Court on December 22, 2023, against the Salvadoran scholar and politician Dr. Rubén Ignacio Zamora Rivas, who was a member of the leadership of the Legislative Assembly in 1993. In its order, the court claims that the 1993 Amnesty Law protected those who committed crimes against humanity during the 1981 massacre at El Mozote.
Dr. Zamora, former Vice President of the Legislative Assembly and member of the National Peace Commission (COPAZ), founder of the Democratic Convergence, former Ambassador of El Salvador to India, the United Nations, and the United States, former university professor and noted scholar, former Tinker Visiting Professor at Stanford University, and torture survivor (and then exiled), was neither a signatory to that law nor did he support it. He has, however, been a vocal critic of the Bukele administration for its deliberate and systematic destruction of the rule of law, of the Salvadoran Constitution, and for its egregious and massive human rights violations, particularly during the last 22 months of a State of Exception.
About LASA
The Latin American Studies Association (LASA) is the largest professional association in the world for individuals and institutions engaged in the study of Latin America. With over 13,000 members, over 60% of whom reside outside the United States, LASA is the one association that brings together experts on Latin America from all disciplines and diverse occupational endeavors, across the globe. LASA's mission is to foster intellectual discussion, research, and teaching on Latin America, the Caribbean, and its people throughout the Americas, promote the interests of its diverse membership, and encourage civic engagement through network building and public debate.
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