El Salvador: Release of Trade Union Leader

New information

SLV 001 / 9806 / OBS 037.01
Release
El Salvador
June 16th, 1998

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint
programme of the FIDH and the OMCT, has just been informed of the
release of Mr. Vicente Ramirez.

Reminder of the situation :

The Observatory had been informed, (see Appeal SVL 001 / 9806 / OBS
00379), of the illegal detention of the trade union leader Mr. Vicente
 Ramirez, on Friday May 25th, at 12 :15 hours in Salvador, according
to  information received by the CLADEHLT, Latin American Commission
for  the Rights and Liberties of Workers and Peoples, member of the
OMCT  network.

According to the reports from the CLADEHLT, Mr. Vicente Ramirez,
Deputy Secretary -General of  CATS, (Central Autónoma de Trabajadores
Salvadoreños), President of the ANTRAVEPECOS (Associación Nacional de
Trabajadores, Vendedores y Pequeños Comercantes) and member of the
Executive Committee of the FETRALCOS (Federación Latinoamaericana de
Trabajadores del Comercio) was detained in an entirely arbitrary
manner by the order-keeping unit of the civil police (UMO).

At the time of his arrest, Mr. Ramirez had been opposing the  eviction
of 300 families working in the Mercado de Mayoreo de la  Tiendona,
which was being carried out in an arbitrary and violent  manner.


 New information :

The Observatory has just been informed by the LADEHLT that Mr. Vicente
 Ramirez has been released, in all likelihood, last week.

The Observatory congratulates itself for the release of Mr. Ramirez
and thanks all those individuals and organisations who intervened in
his favour.

Geneva - Paris, 16 June, 1998.

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