Detailed information on police protection and alternative protection mechanisms in El Salvador could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate, beyond the recent references to possible protection of witnesses, victims of crime and police agents found in SLV37932.E of 14 November 2001 and SLV37935.E of 15 November 2001.

An outline of the original divisions of the National Civilian Police created as a result of the 1992 Peace Accords refers to the Personality Protection Division (División de Protección de Personalidades), reportedly responsible for "protecting and escorting high-ranking government officials, visiting foreign personalities, and other persons in accordance to decisions from the courts or the government " (custodia y escolta de altos funcionarios del Estado; de dignatarios extranjeros que estén de visita en el país; y de otras personas, a partir de decisiones del Gobierno o de los tribunales) (CEPAZ Jan. 1999).

An Action Alert of the International gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission reported in December 2000 that Entre Amigos, a gay support and advocacy organization, had requested police protection after two break-ins and the discovery of e-mail and telephone wiretapping; pending other possible protection, the group had organized shifts of volunteers to guard the threatened premises (IGLHRC Dec. 2000). Additional background on the specific case can be found in the cited document. An earlier report of the Office of the Human Rights Defence Attorney (Procuraduría para la Defensa de los Derechos Humanos, PPDH) refers to a violent crime in which a policeman was killed: alleged witnesses reportedly refused to communicate with police for fear of reprisals and possible involvement of policemen in the crime, while a known witness was killed; the PDDH attributes police neglect in providing adequate protection, and cites an international Declaration of the Fundamental Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power as the existing legal framework for providing protection to a witness (PDDH 7 June 1999).

SLV34357.E of 11 May 2000 contains references to police protection and other protection mechanisms that can be issued by the courts or other "competent authorities" for persons considered at risk from intra-family or domestic violence; SLV32539.E of 10 September 1999 gives additional information on this subject, including references to alternative courses of action if police protection were not available. Further to information provided in previous Responses, SLV28706.E of 12 February 1998 reports on "protection programs available to citizens who have implicated police or military personnel in current criminal activity, and on the state agencies the witness can turn to for assistance."

In May 2000 the chief of the National Civilian Police (PNC) stated that his force was attempting to bring about legislative changes that would allow the protection and security of persons at risk for being witnesses or victims of a crime (El Diario de Hoy 1 May 2000). The proposed changes could establish a risk rating that would allow for some patrolling or supervision of the persons or their homes (ibid.). The chief also stated that talks were under way with "members of the international community" (personal de la comunidad internacional) to enable, when possible, some other form of protection, such as a new identity and/or relocation of a person to another country (ibid.).

SLV37935.E refers to shortcomings in the protection of witnesses and others; as in SLV37935.E, no reports of legal changes related to protection measures in El Salvador in 2000 and 2001 could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

Centro de Paz (CEPAZ), San Salvador. January 1999. Acuerdos de Paz--Capítulo II: Policía Nacional Civil. http://www.cepaz.org.sv/cepaz98/pnc.htm [Accessed 22 Nov. 2001]

El Diario de Hoy [San Salvador]. 1 May 2000. "PNC urge más armas legales." http://www.elsalvador.com/noticias/EDICIONESANTERIORES/2000/MAYO/mayo1/NACIONAL/nacio9.html [Accessed 23 Nov. 2001]

International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC), San Francisco. Action Alert. December 2000. "Renewed Harassment of GLBT Activists; Police Procrastinate, Not Protect." http://www.iglhrc.org/world/mex_centam_carib/ElSalvador2000dec2.html [Accessed 22 Nov. 2001]

Procuraduría para la Defensa de los Derechos Humanos (PDDH), San Salvador. 7 June 1999. "SS-2861-98: Violación al Derecho Humano a la Vida, por muerte arbitraria consumada, en perjuicio de Roberto Carlos Torres Hernández y otros, y por muerte arbitraria fallida, en perjuicio de Drema Adonay Ramírez Valdés." http://www.pddh.gob.sv/SS-2861-98.htm [Accessed 23 Nov. 2001]