Maria Mirtala Lopez, leader of the youth organization of the opposition political party FMLN, has been threatened by unknown individuals believed to be linked to government “death squads”. Her home was broken into on the evening of 29 December 1993; her room was ransacked and documents relating to the forthcoming elections in March 1994 were stolen. A picture of her was destroyed and a note left behind with the initials “E.M.”, believed to stand for “Escuadron de Muerte”. Preliminary investigation by ONUSAL have discounted robbery as a possible motive. Maria Mirtala Lopez has received numerous death threats in the past.
