Rapport intérimaire - Rapport No. 413, Mars 2026

Cas no 2923 (El Salvador) - Date de la plainte: 13-JANV.-12 - Actif

Allegations: The complainant organizations allege the murder of a trade union official

1. 159. The Committee last examined this case at its June 2024 meeting, when it presented an interim report to the Governing Body [see 407th Report, paras 163–171, approved by the Governing Body at its 356th Session (June 2024)]. 
2. 160. The Government of El Salvador sent its observations in communications of 12 September 2024 and 30 January 2026.
3. 161. El Salvador has ratified the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87), the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98), the Workers’ Representatives Convention, 1971 (No. 135), and the Labour Relations (Public Service) Convention, 1978 (No. 151).

A. Previous examination of the case

1. 162. At its meeting in June 2024, the Committee made the following recommendations [see 407th Report, para. 171]:
   • (a) The Committee, deploring the absence of information on tangible progress towards the resolution of the case more than 14 years since the murder, firmly urges the Government and all the competent authorities to make, in a coordinated manner and as a matter of urgency and priority, all the necessary efforts to expedite and conclude the investigations under way in order to identify and punish as soon as possible both the instigators and the perpetrators of the murder of Mr Victoriano Abel Vega, while ensuring the protection of all witnesses who could be instrumental in the resolution of the case. In this regard, the Committee once again urges the Government to take all appropriate measures so that the competent authorities are provided with the required human and financial resources and that they ensure that when conducting the investigations, special attention is paid to exchanging appropriate information with the complainant organizations in the present case with a view to clarifying whether this crime is of an anti-union nature. The Committee requests the Government to provide specific information on the concrete measures taken in this respect.
   • (b) Firmly expecting to receive information that shows that tangible progress has been made, the Committee is bound to reiterate its request to the Government to keep it informed of any progress in the investigation and criminal proceedings.
   • (c) The Committee once again draws the Governing Body’s attention to the serious and urgent nature of this case.

B. The Government’s reply

1. 163. In communications of 12 September 2024 and 30 January 2026, the Government reports that: (i) the Attorney-General’s Office, in the context of the investigation that it is conducting with regard to the murder of trade union official Mr Victoriano Abel Vega, assigned the proceedings to the Elite Division against Organized Crime of the National Civil Police; and (ii) the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare is continuously monitoring the progress in this investigation. The Government also reiterates that, since this is a homicide case, the findings of the investigation are subject to limited access by the parties, in accordance with the provisions of section 76 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. The Government states that it will report on the details of the investigation once its conclusions are available

C. The Committee’s conclusions

1. 164. The Committee recalls that, on numerous occasions, it has considered this serious case, which refers to the murder, on 16 January 2010, of Mr Victoriano Abel Vega, general secretary of the Union of Municipal Workers of Santa Ana (SITRAMSA), who, according to the complainant organizations, had already received death threats for his union activities.
2. 165. The Committee recalls that, according to the information previously provided by the Government, the Specialized Prosecutorial Unit for Extortion and Organized Crime of the Attorney-General’s Office had reopened the investigation into those accused of the crime of aggravated homicide against Mr Vega and that instructions had been issued to the Central Investigations Division of the National Civil Police of San Salvador to interview possible witnesses to the homicide and to take the respective statements, and that the investigation in question was ongoing. In this regard, the Committee notes that the Government states that: (i) the Attorney-General’s Office assigned the proceedings to the Elite Division against Organized Crime of the National Civil Police; and (ii) the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare is continuously monitoring the progress in the investigation, the findings of which are subject to limited access by the parties, in accordance with the Code of Criminal Procedure.
3. 166. The Committee duly notes the involvement of the Elite Division against Organized Crime of the National Civil Police in the investigations. The Committee deeply regrets, however, that despite more than 15 years having passed since the murder of Mr Vega, no tangible progress has yet been made to identify and punish those responsible for this serious crime. The Committee recalls once again that it is important that all instances of violence against trade union members, whether these be murders, disappearances or threats, are properly investigated. Furthermore, the mere fact of initiating an investigation does not mark the end of the Government’s work; rather, the Government must do all within its power to ensure that such investigations lead to the identification and punishment of the perpetrators [see Compilation of decisions of the Committee on Freedom of Association, sixth edition, 2018, para. 102].
4. 167. In the light of the above and noting once again with concern that a situation of impunity also persists in another case involving the murder of a leader of a union from another municipality (see Case No. 3395, 412th Report of the Committee, paras 237–247), the Committee firmly urges the Government and all the competent authorities to make, in a coordinated manner and as a matter of urgency and priority, all the necessary efforts to expedite and conclude the investigations under way in order to identify and punish as soon as possible both the instigators and the perpetrators of the murder of Mr Victoriano Abel Vega, while ensuring the protection of all witnesses who could be instrumental in the resolution of the case. In particular, the Committee urges the Government to take all appropriate measures so that the competent authorities, including the Elite Division against Organized Crime of the National Civil Police, are provided with the required human and financial resources and that they ensure that, when conducting the investigations, special attention is paid to exchanging appropriate information with the complainant organizations in the present case, to the extent permitted by law, with a view to clarifying whether this crime is of an anti-union nature. The Committee once again urges the Government to provide specific information on the concrete measures taken in this respect. Firmly expecting to receive information as soon as possible that shows that tangible progress has been made, the Committee once again urges the Government to keep it informed of any progress in the investigation and criminal proceedings.

The Committee’s recommendations

1. 168. In the light of the foregoing conclusions, the Committee invites the Governing Body to approve the following recommendations:
   • (a) The Committee, deeply deploring the absence of tangible progress towards the resolution of the case despite more than 15 years having passed since the murder, firmly urges the Government and all the competent authorities to make, in a coordinated manner and as a matter of urgency and priority, all the necessary efforts to expedite and conclude the investigations under way in order to identify and punish as soon as possible both the instigators and the perpetrators of the murder of Mr Victoriano Abel Vega, while ensuring the protection of all witnesses who could be instrumental in the resolution of the case. In particular, the Committee urges the Government to take all appropriate measures so that the competent authorities, including the Elite Division against Organized Crime of the National Civil Police, are provided with the required human and financial resources and that they ensure that, when conducting the investigations, special attention is paid to exchanging appropriate information with the complainant organizations in the present case, to the extent permitted by law, with a view to clarifying whether this crime is of an anti-union nature. The Committee once again urges the Government to provide specific information on the concrete measures taken in this respect.
   • (b) Firmly expecting to receive information that shows that tangible progress has been made, the Committee once again urges the Government to keep it informed of any progress in the investigation and criminal proceedings.
   • (c) The Committee once again draws the Governing Body’s attention to the serious and urgent nature of this case.