Justice for Romero
By Mike Rhodes
August 24, 2004

A rally was held today, outside a Federal courtroom in Fresno, calling for justice for slain Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero. Inside, testimony was being heard about the 1980 assassination of Romero in El Salvador. The Center for Justice and Accountability (CJA) has brought a civil lawsuit against Alvaro Rafael Saravia, who was living in Modesto CA, alleging that he played a key role in organizing the assassination of Archbishop Romero. CJA will provide daily updates on this trial on their web site at www.cja.org .

In today’s testimony we heard from the driver of the vehicle used in the assassination of Romero. This man gave a detailed description of how he drove death squad members on numerous missions. In one particularly emotional revelation he described how a death squad member returned from a mission and announced he had killed a man. It turned out that the man was the drivers cousin. The driver did not reveal his relation to the victim because he feared for his own life if it became know he was related to him.

The weapon used in the assassination of Romero was described in detail, as was the church, and distance of Archbishop Romero from the death squad vehicle parked at the curb. The shot that killed Romero was described as was what the assassins talked about afterwards and where they slept that night. When asked if he knew who had been killed that day he hesitated. The crowd in the courtroom gasped that the man involved in this assassination appeared not to know who had been killed. He finally said "yes, it was Oscar Romero."

At the vigil outside the courtroom Luis Melendez said he was there "to make sure that the assassin of Oscar Romero goes on trial and pays for his crime." Melendez, who is from El Salvador came to the United States in 1982. About 25 people, representing several community groups, held a vigil for about an hour on Tuesday, the first day of the trial. They say they will return each day of the trial to demand justice for Archbishop Romero. For more information about local actions in support of the lawsuit call (559) 222-7091.

To find out more about the legal case, visit the Center for Justice and Accountability’s web site www.cja.org or call them at (415) 544-0444. Also see an earlier Indymedia story about this case at: http://sfbay.indymedia.org/news/2004/08/1692270.php