The constitution provides for freedom of religion and states that all are equal before the law. Discrimination on the basis of religion is prohibited. The constitution grants official recognition to the Roman Catholic Church and states that other religious groups may also apply for official recognition. In January the government agreed to cooperate with INTERPOL to arrest 17 Salvadoran former soldiers accused of shooting six Jesuit priests (five of whom were Spanish) in 1989 to silence criticism of civil rights abuses during the country’s civil war. When a Spanish judge renewed his country’s request with INTERPOL to arrest those implicated in the killings, the government agreed to cooperate. In February the National Police arrested four former soldiers accused of the killings.
Catholic and evangelical Protestant leaders said members of their churches sometimes could not reach their respective congregations in gang-controlled territory out of fear of crime and violence.
U.S. embassy officials discussed the importance of government officials carrying out their official duties regardless of their religious affiliation or beliefs with the new ombudsman for human rights. In meetings with Catholic and evangelical Christian leaders, embassy officials discussed the difficulties religious groups experience in attempting to reach followers in gang-controlled territories, stressing the importance of filing a complaint with law enforcement agencies and the ombudsman for human rights.