The Unsilenced Voices of El Salvador: Radio Venceremos and the Fight for Justice

In the heart of El Salvador's tumultuous history, amidst a landscape scarred by massacres and oppression, a beacon of hope emerged: Radio Venceremos. This clandestine radio station became the voice of a revolution, challenging a US-backed dictatorship and amplifying the stories of those who had been silenced for too long.

A History of Oppression

Since the 1800s, El Salvador had been controlled by a small group of wealthy families who owned almost all of the land. This system forced the majority of the population into poverty, working as laborers for meager wages. This inequality fueled unrest, leading to an Indigenous-led insurrection in 1932, which was brutally suppressed by the government.

Military dictatorships, supported by wealthy landowners, continued to rule the country.
In the 1960s, the United States began providing military aid to the regime, seeking to prevent the spread of reformist and revolutionary movements.
This aid included training Salvadoran soldiers and "death squads" in brutal counter-insurgency methods.
Throughout the 1970s, these forces targeted farmers who organized to demand basic rights.

The Rise of the FMLN and Radio Venceremos

In 1980, farmers and urban workers united to form the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN), a coalition of guerrilla groups determined to overthrow the dictatorship and establish a socialist society. Among these revolutionaries, a group of rebels refused to be silenced: the operators of Radio Venceremos.

Established in 1981, Radio Venceremos, with broadcasters Santiago and Mariposa, became the voice of the revolution. Operating in secrecy, they transmitted news from the front lines and reported on military abuses that were ignored by other sources. The station's popularity made it a target, forcing its broadcasters to constantly move to avoid capture.

The Power of Communication

To maintain communication, the group ingeniously modified two radios into telephones, connected by kilometers of barbed wire across the countryside. This secret line allowed them to stay ahead of their pursuers.

Beyond reporting news, Radio Venceremos broadcast educational programs in areas under guerrilla control. These programs fostered the organization of democratic councils, cooperatives, schools, and medical clinics. Women were encouraged to participate in these councils, ensuring the revolution challenged both capitalism and patriarchy.

The Booby Trap

Colonel Monterrosa, obsessed with destroying Radio Venceremos, finally captured their radio transmitter in October 1984. However, the radio team had anticipated this, booby-trapping the transmitter. When Monterrosa's helicopter departed the press conference, the device was detonated, killing the colonel near El Mozote, the site of a previous massacre.

The Aftermath and the Fight for Justice

The civil war continued for eight more years, concluding in 1992 with peace accords that dissolved the oppressive National Guard and allowed the FMLN to become an electoral party. However, the accords failed to address deep-seated inequalities.

In 1993, the UN Truth Commission reported that over 75,000 people had died during the war. Despite this, the Salvadoran legislature has obstructed justice, preventing the prosecution of war crimes. As of 2021, only one individual from the Salvadoran government has been sentenced for war crimes, and no participating American officials have been put on trial.

Remembering the Victims

Despite historical erasure, the victims of the conflict refuse to be forgotten. Survivors of massacres continue to organize, denouncing state violence, mapping massacre sites, exhuming and burying loved ones, and building sanctuaries and museums. Their efforts serve as a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and a call for a more just future.

Rufina Amaya, a survivor of the El Mozote massacre, continued to share her testimony until her death in 2007, ensuring that the truth of what happened would not be buried.

The story of Radio Venceremos is a reminder of the power of communication, the importance of resistance, and the enduring fight for justice in the face of oppression.