Please consult the attached official translations of a 19 November 1996 fascimilie and a 2 December 1996 information package received from the International Relations Department of the El Salvador Ombudsman for the Defense of Human Rights (PDDH, Procuraduria para la Defensa de Derechos Humanos de El Salvador). The documents detail the steps undertaken in the unsuccessful search for information on the disappearance of Osmín Valdéz Fuentes in Usulutan.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB 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.

El Salvador Ombudsman for the Defense of Human Rights (PDDH), San Salvador. 2 December 1996. Information package received by the DIRB. Translated by the Multilingual Translation Directorate, Department of Public Works and Government Services Canada.

____. 19 November 1996. Facsimilie received by the DIRB. Translated by the Multilingual Translation Directorate, Department of Public Works and Government Services Canada.