RELEASE: Our Parents’ Bones Launches 10,000 Voices Campaign

U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern Calls for Answers on El Salvador’s Disappeared

Berkeley, CA – A non-profit dedicated to finding answers for relatives of those “disappeared” during El Salvador’s civil war is launching a new campaign to urge the U.S. government to be part of the push for justice.

Our Parents’ Bones, a project of the Mauricio Aquino Foundation, was started by the children, families and friends of individuals who were forcibly taken by agents of El Salvador’s military or government during the civil war. These men and women were “disappeared” and never heard from again. To date, the Salvadoran government has provided no answers as to what happened to them or where their remains are located.

Our Parents’ Bones announced today the launch of “10,000 Voices” to push the Salvadoran government for answers. Our Parents’ Bones will seek 10,000 individuals here in America who will speak out on behalf of the estimated 10,000 Disappeared and sign a petition to U.S. government officials to press El Salvador for action.
“What we know is that the Salvadoran government is very sensitive about its relationship to the United States,” said Alexandra Aquino-Fike, Board Chair of Our Parents’ Bones and the daughter of one of the Disappeared. “Leaders in America can help us find the answers we’ve waited for our entire lives. Our mothers and fathers can’t share their stories – we need champions to be their voices today and leaders in Washington, D.C. to listen, learn and work with us.”

“I have long been concerned about the gross human rights violations committed during the Salvadoran civil war. Many Americans are friends and family of the victims, and this is an opportunity for the U.S. to help with the process of truth-telling that is needed for real accountability,” said U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern (D-MA). “I am proud to join this push for answers and justice.”

Those interested in participating are asked to visit www.OurParentsBones.org/petition to sign a petition to urge Secretary of State John Kerry and the leaders of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations to push the Salvadoran government for action.

“We seek answers, we seek justice and we seek our parents’ remains so we can give them sacred burial. We need voices, and we are urging Americans of all backgrounds to help,” said Aquino-Fike. “Together we can get the attention of our leaders in Washington, D.C. and answers from the government in San Salvador.”

About the Mauricio Aquino Foundation

Our Parents’ Bones is an international campaign to find the remains of the Disappeared in El Salvador, led by Salvadoran-Americans who have survived the forced disappearance of a mother, a father, or both during El Salvador’s civil war. Our mission is the resolution of forced disappearances, the eradication of institutional impunity and the building of democratic institutions based on truth and reconciliation in El Salvador.

The Foundation’s name is in honor of Mauricio Aquino Chacón and all those who, like him, were victims of forced disappearance during the civil war. Learn more about Mauricio’s story and others’ Disappeared parents at www.ourparentsbones.org.

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