Standing with Salvadoran Water Defenders

"Together, we can raise international awareness of El Salvador’s human rights crisis and show the urgently needed solidarity with its social movements and the community of Santa Marta."

Ever Hernandez, Salvadoran water defender, 2024

Guest Speaker

Join us for a powerful discussion with Ever Hernandez, a Community Water Systems expert and member of the Association for Social and Economic Development (ADES) "Santa Marta", El Salvador. He works closely with the valiant group who have become known as the “Santa Marta Five”, who led a successful transnational movement for a ban on metal mining, as chronicled in the award-winning 2021 book The Water Defenders: How Ordinary People Saved a Country from Corporate Greed. The five are being persecuted for their environmentalism.

Event Description

In 2017, El Salvador became the first country to ban metal mining, thanks to the efforts of communities organizing to protect their water. However, under President Nayib Bukele, this ban is at risk of being reversed, jeopardizing the country's water supply. Ever Hernandez, an expert in Community Water Systems and a member of ADES "Santa Marta," has been deeply involved in this fight, alongside the “Santa Marta Five,” key figures in the 2017 mining ban.

The Santa Marta Five were arrested in January 2023 on unfounded charges, imprisoned for seven months and transferred to house arrest.  Despite global outcry and the lack of evidence, their trial is set for October 8, 2024. The Bukele regime’s policies, marked by mass incarceration and the suspension of constitutional rights, have led to widespread human rights violations, with over 80,000 people detained, many without trial.

Ever Hernandez will discuss the persecution of the Santa Marta Five as an effort to criminalize environmental activism and suppress opposition to mining. He will also highlight the global solidarity efforts supporting these water defenders, including the involvement of the UN, U.S. Congress members, and hundreds of international organizations. With a compromised judicial system, the ongoing fight for justice is crucial, as the lives of the Santa Marta Five hang in the balance. This event will explore the need for continued international solidarity to raise awareness of El Salvador's human rights crisis and to support the defenders of environmental justice.

Join us to learn about the challenges facing El Salvador's environmental activists and how we can contribute to the fight for human rights and environmental protection.

Presentation 2.30 - 3.30 p.m. - Virtual Link will be provided here