Former Attorney General freed on bail, actress and human rights activist is not

The former Attorney General of El Salvador, Luis Martinez, has been freed on $5000 bail pending his tiral on charges that he had illegally divulged intercepted communications of Father Antonio Rodriguez (Padre Toño) .   Martinez had previously received the right to release on bail for charges that he had engaged in a corrupt conspiracy to use his office to benefit businessman Enrique Rais.

Many anti-corruption crusaders were indignant, but because I come from a country where bail for criminal defendants is common, I don't have a problem with the decision (although maybe the bail should be higher than $5000).   

Still, the decision to free Martinez stood in stark contrast to the detention of Wendy Morales, a young actress and human rights activist, who is being held in provisional detention without bail in a case of extortion, where the only link between Wendy and the crime is that a cell phone that was stolen from her had links to the extortion calls.    

There is an active campaign going on through social media to try to get Wendy freed.  You can read more about Wendy's case (in Spanish) here.   Justice is not even-handed in El Salvador.

Wendy Morales



  

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