Dealing in Death

It was enough to shock even Salvadorans, who are inured to almost daily reports of disappearances and murder. During the midday television news, a home videotape flickered across the screen. Seated in front of a purple-and-white Salvadoran flag, three men nervously confessed to past membership in the Salvadoran Communist Party. That very morning, said the news announcer, the right-wing group that sent the tape had condemned the three men to death on a charge of "high treason." The terrorists then strangled the men and a female doctor, and afterward dumped the bodies in a San Salvador parking lot.

The killings, and the brazen release of the videotape, were the most dramatic evidence yet of a grisly new public relations campaign being staged by El Salvador's infamous "death squads." The right-wing terrorist groups have plagued the country since the beginning of El Salvador's guerrilla war in 1979. The recent attacks, how ever, have been aimed at influential targets, such as student leaders, professors and labor officials who are considered sympathetic to the left.

Human rights activists and Western diplomats believe that many of the death squads are led by officers in the Salvadoran army and security forces. The recent upsurge in their activity appears to reflect the mounting frustrations of the ultraright, which has seen its power gradually erode over the past year. The right failed to gain control of key ministries after the March 1982 elections, and it has also been unable to derail the government's programs to redistribute land more equitably. Making matters worse, in the right's view, the Salvadoran Peace Commission, sponsored by the interim administration of President Alvaro Magana, has begun a "dialogue" with representatives of leftist guerrillas.

The right has also had trouble getting organized for next spring's presidential elections. Says former President Jose Napoleon Duarte, a Christian Democrat who is now the front-running contender: "[The death squads] want to stop the reforms. They want to stop the democratic process. And they want to stop the Christian Democrats from coming to power." This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.